The warm weather finally arrived, meaning wonderful lazy days spent wandering in parks and enjoying the sun. High Park was a really great place to spend a Saturday afternoon, with lots of space for having a picnic, beautiful flowers and trees. We also saw a family walking their pet iguana on a leash... They also had a little boa with them, but he (she?) had to just travel in his owner's arms. In addition, I've seen a big poodle wearing sunglasses... Yup, tiny little ones but they went properly behind his ears and all. The things you see in a big city...!
On Saturday we also went to a party in a frat house. Not a proper frat party, but rather a gathering of some friends. It was fun anyways to see the house(s). The main building was in a horribly bad condition, mostly due to lack of cleaning... Maybe 20 bags of trash in the kitchen. Imagine the smell... Afterwards, we went to a nightclub and I was very satisfied to get free entrance for coming all the way from Finland :D (It did seem to me, though, that no one else paid anything either, but apparently that was because they were local students or something.)
Mostly we've just been walking around the different neighborhoods: Little Italy, Greektown, Koreatown, Chinatown and so on. Looking into funny little stores and trying out different kinds of foods. Goood times ;)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tourist activities
Other than the previous comments about insane bureaucracy, I've been enjoying the regular tourist activities with the added flavor of having one or two local guides. This way (and, well, with a bit of luck), we've managed to do a lot of free or cheap things:
- Black Creek Pioneer Village (admission 2 dollars instead of 12 an hour before closing time), which was a pretty little 19th century village thingy with guides dressed up accordingly.
- Lunch-time piano concert at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts. Music was a bit modern to our liking, but it was fun to hear the pianist talk about the pieces. Also, it felt good to just sit for an hour without having to actively do anything. (The seats were a bit uncomfortable, though.)
- Royal Ontario Museum, free for the last hour on Wednesday. Saw First Nations artifacts (why was the lighting so dark?), a weird Canada exhibit (a mixture of furniture, paintings etc.), and dinosaur skeletons, which were awesome.
We've also done some shopping (for warmer clothes...), enjoyed fresh bagels, and wondered in pretty little parks. I can't get over the abundance of cute squirrels in this city. Many of them are black! I also saw a tiny little one... Don't know if it was a baby or a midget. Cool birds too in all kinds of bright colors.
- Black Creek Pioneer Village (admission 2 dollars instead of 12 an hour before closing time), which was a pretty little 19th century village thingy with guides dressed up accordingly.
- Lunch-time piano concert at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts. Music was a bit modern to our liking, but it was fun to hear the pianist talk about the pieces. Also, it felt good to just sit for an hour without having to actively do anything. (The seats were a bit uncomfortable, though.)
- Royal Ontario Museum, free for the last hour on Wednesday. Saw First Nations artifacts (why was the lighting so dark?), a weird Canada exhibit (a mixture of furniture, paintings etc.), and dinosaur skeletons, which were awesome.
We've also done some shopping (for warmer clothes...), enjoyed fresh bagels, and wondered in pretty little parks. I can't get over the abundance of cute squirrels in this city. Many of them are black! I also saw a tiny little one... Don't know if it was a baby or a midget. Cool birds too in all kinds of bright colors.
Rules and Regulations
I know Canada is supposed to be nothing like the United States but let me, nevertheless, point out some oddities in terms of bureaucracy in these two countries:
- you can't cash traveler's checks at a bank without having an account there. You can't open an account without cash and a permanent address in Canada
- they have about a billion different price groups for public transportation: regular, 14-day advance purchase, 7-day advance purchase, 1-day advance purchase, local student, student with ISIC, youth, and so on... In addition, I heard different companies may have two for the price of one deals as well...
- when you enter the US from Canada, you have to pay a 7-dollar visa waiver fee that allows you to stay in that country for three months. When you return to Canada within that time period, they may not necessarily remove the piece of paper from your passport (in case you want to re-enter the US). However, if the paper remains in your passport after those three months, you can't return to the US because they think you've never left the country. How can they think you never left if you're crossing the border from Canada to the US, I don't know. In any case, you have to get the visa waiver removed from your passport (by sending it to US authorities or by traveling to the nearest international airport to do it) and somehow prove that you have at some point left the US. (Again, if you're doing this IN Canada, how can they think you haven't left the US?)
As for security matters, M told me that Canadians frequently drive around with a gun by their side. However, they have to file a whole lot of paperwork if they ever take out that gun so I guess that's supposed to keep irrational shooting at a minimum...? On my very first night here we went to see a movie preview at the university and there were two security guys there to make sure people didn't record the film or something. They just had some kind of binoculars or something, which was really creepy. I had this feeling that they were aiming at me and would shoot me at any moment...
- you can't cash traveler's checks at a bank without having an account there. You can't open an account without cash and a permanent address in Canada
- they have about a billion different price groups for public transportation: regular, 14-day advance purchase, 7-day advance purchase, 1-day advance purchase, local student, student with ISIC, youth, and so on... In addition, I heard different companies may have two for the price of one deals as well...
- when you enter the US from Canada, you have to pay a 7-dollar visa waiver fee that allows you to stay in that country for three months. When you return to Canada within that time period, they may not necessarily remove the piece of paper from your passport (in case you want to re-enter the US). However, if the paper remains in your passport after those three months, you can't return to the US because they think you've never left the country. How can they think you never left if you're crossing the border from Canada to the US, I don't know. In any case, you have to get the visa waiver removed from your passport (by sending it to US authorities or by traveling to the nearest international airport to do it) and somehow prove that you have at some point left the US. (Again, if you're doing this IN Canada, how can they think you haven't left the US?)
As for security matters, M told me that Canadians frequently drive around with a gun by their side. However, they have to file a whole lot of paperwork if they ever take out that gun so I guess that's supposed to keep irrational shooting at a minimum...? On my very first night here we went to see a movie preview at the university and there were two security guys there to make sure people didn't record the film or something. They just had some kind of binoculars or something, which was really creepy. I had this feeling that they were aiming at me and would shoot me at any moment...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
First Impressions
Toronto feels comfy and somehow familiar. Maybe it's the CN Tower that stands out wherever you look (makes me feel like I'm in Seattle), or the architecture that resembles that of Vancouver. Also, it seems to be true that nowhere in the world are there as many nationalities/ethnicities present as here. One blond girl easily fits in the crowd (as opposed to, say, Spain).
On the other hand, you know it's a big city. In the first few days, I've seen:
- one seemingly liveless body at a street corner
- two cases of paramedics giving first aid (one at the mall, the other at a subway station)
- one accident involving a car and a bike
The transfer system of the public transportation network is funny. When you enter the subway/bus/streetcar, you can ask for a transfer ticket. On it it says that it is valid only for continuing your trip (not for backtracking) "within reasonable time" and you're not allowed to walk a part of the way in-between stops. How weird is that? How do they determine "reasonable time"? I haven't yet dared to test...
Also noticed the irony of the Canadian 20-dollar bill. The backside portrays the colonized (First Nations or their art) and the front side the colonizer (Queen Elizabeth). Or maybe the British colonize(d) both the First Nations as well as the "white" Canadians? Not very relevant maybe, but just caught my attention.
On the other hand, you know it's a big city. In the first few days, I've seen:
- one seemingly liveless body at a street corner
- two cases of paramedics giving first aid (one at the mall, the other at a subway station)
- one accident involving a car and a bike
The transfer system of the public transportation network is funny. When you enter the subway/bus/streetcar, you can ask for a transfer ticket. On it it says that it is valid only for continuing your trip (not for backtracking) "within reasonable time" and you're not allowed to walk a part of the way in-between stops. How weird is that? How do they determine "reasonable time"? I haven't yet dared to test...
Also noticed the irony of the Canadian 20-dollar bill. The backside portrays the colonized (First Nations or their art) and the front side the colonizer (Queen Elizabeth). Or maybe the British colonize(d) both the First Nations as well as the "white" Canadians? Not very relevant maybe, but just caught my attention.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I'm going to Canada!!
Countdown 17.5 hours.
I've packed my suitcase, emptied my apartment (well, at least almost), and taken care of the gazillion things on my list (or at least the ones I remembered to put on the list). I'm feeling calmer and ready to go!
It's going to be amazing... I bet I'll get fed up at times (or probably M will get fed up with me first, as one nice person suggested) but it's still going to be so good to see all those places, both new and familiar ones. And I'm absolutely thrilled about the idea of settling in Toronto for two whole weeks, living in the city sort of. And getting to go through almost five month's worth of gossip and stuff :)
First Toronto update to follow in a day or two!
I've packed my suitcase, emptied my apartment (well, at least almost), and taken care of the gazillion things on my list (or at least the ones I remembered to put on the list). I'm feeling calmer and ready to go!
It's going to be amazing... I bet I'll get fed up at times (or probably M will get fed up with me first, as one nice person suggested) but it's still going to be so good to see all those places, both new and familiar ones. And I'm absolutely thrilled about the idea of settling in Toronto for two whole weeks, living in the city sort of. And getting to go through almost five month's worth of gossip and stuff :)
First Toronto update to follow in a day or two!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Pre-travel Panic
Countdown 2 days 13 hours and I'm freaking out! I have a gazillion things to do and I can't seem to get started. I just want to stay home... I know I'll enjoy it once I get going, but right now it's just so hard to think about anything else besides the chaos around me. Not only do I need to pack my stuff for a 6-week trip, I also need to empty my apartment, send a few job applications and take care of some financial issues...
In addition to pre-travel panic, I probably also got too much sun today and am simply feeling nauseated.
In addition to pre-travel panic, I probably also got too much sun today and am simply feeling nauseated.
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