One of Toronto’s most famous (and beautiful) landmarks is Casa Loma. Casa Loma was once owned by wealthy Torontonians, and later became a luxury hotel, but now functions as a museum. The students enjoyed touring the giant residence and the five acres of gardens. Many students recognized Casa Loma as the filming location of popular films such as X-Men, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Chicago!
Today, some of our Brazilian groups visited Toronto’s most famous landmark, the CN Tower! Students went up to the Observation level of the tallest free-standing tower in the Western hemisphere, and had a chance to stand on the glass floor 342 metres above the ground.
On Monday, students headed to Woodbine beach for an afternoon of fun in the sun. Students enjoyed the beach and the water, and a couple people even got buried in the sand! Unfortunately, a massive storm rolled in and we were forced to leave the beach and find our way back to the city.
It was a nice sunny Monday when we went canoeing on Lake Ontario. The students took the boats all the way across to Toronto’s Center Island and had half an hour to explore the island a bit. Some students hung out at the beach or went swimming while others made friends with three miniature horses! We got back into the canoes and started to paddle away when we saw a very ominous-looking storm roll in over the city. Our guides had us dock on another part of the island and we tried to wait out the very heavy storm. After about an hour of waiting, the torrential rain was not letting up and we had become less optimistic about being able to canoe back to the city, so we decided to make a run for the Ferry which took us back to the city center. We were completely soaking wet, and when we got back to the city we had to navigate through thigh-high water in the streets (really!) and deal with massive power outages, severe flooding both outside and inside, subway closures, and general chaos. Thanks to our quick-thinking Quest activity leaders, everyone got home safely. What an adventure!
On a drizzly Sunday we went to the Harbourfront to explore the area and check out the Ritmo y Color festival. Besides international foods and interesting things to buy, the festival also included Cuban music and Capoeira performances, a Piñata-making workshop, and a dog show. The students even convinced some leaders to participate in Cuban dancing and playing different instruments.
On Sunday students woke up early in order to catch buses down to Niagara Falls. Everyone was impressed by the famous 53m high water falls, and some people were surprised to learn that we were separated from the USA by only a small bridge! (But no one went across the border for a visit). Students enjoyed getting up close and personal with the falls (not to mention very wet) on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. Then students used their free time to explore the city of Niagara Falls which is home to many tourist attractions and shops in addition to its natural wonders.
On a hot, sunny Saturday we went to Canada’s Wonderland Amusement Park, just north of Toronto. For some students, this was the first time travelling by North American Yellow School bus (yes! Just like in the Simpsons!) At Wonderland, students faced their fears on the rides and roller coasters. Some were even brave enough to go on the huge new rides Leviathan and Behemoth. Fortunately, the water park was also open so everyone had a chance to cool down!
Although High Park (Toronto’s largest park) has a swimming pool, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a dog park, hiking trails, beautiful gardens, a large lake, and a small zoo, all of the students who went on Friday chose to engage in a game of soccer in the rain.
Despite the rain, students had a blast taking canoes across from the city centre to Toronto Island. Things got competitive when students engaged in a boat race, and again on the island with a game of frisbee.
After school on Friday we went to Woodbine beach to play soccer on the beach and go for a swim in Lake Ontario. We had a good time, but decided to head home fairly early as it started raining.
