Pride Parade – June 30
Shortly after students arrived, they were able to see part of Toronto’s Pride Parade. This huge event celebrates diversity and tolerance, both integral parts of Canadian culture and society.
30/06/13
Toronto Zoo – June 29
On Saturday, Quest travelled to the Toronto Zoo. As the largest zoo in Canada, the Toronto zoo has more than five thousand animals which are housed in seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Canada, The Americas, Australasia, Eurasia, and Tundra. The most popular animals we saw were the Giant Pandas, who were recently acquired by the zoo earlier this year.
Distillery District – June 27
On Thursday the students visited Toronto’s historic Distillery District. The main historic site here is the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, which began in 1832. Interestingly, alcohol production played a big role in Toronto’s history, especially during the American prohibition during the 1920s, when alcohol was produced in Toronto and secretly, brought over to the Americans. In the last few decades, this area has been repurposed and redeveloped, and is now a trendy area with high-end shops, bars, restaurants, galleries, and condominiums. The students enjoyed exploring the area (what a great place to take photos!). On the way back, students went into the St. Lawrence Market and browsed the vendors selling food and other products.
Canoeing and Toronto Island – June 26
One of the students’ favourite activities was canoeing on Lake Ontario. The students took the boats all the way across to Toronto’s Center Island and had some time to explore the island a bit. The island has a small amusement park, beaches, water activities, parks, and much more!
CN Tower – June 25
As Toronto’s most famous landmark, the CN Tower is a must-see during a stay in Toronto. 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. Many students also wanted to do the EdgeWalk (that’s right, you can actually walk around the outside edge of the CN Tower! With safety harnesses on of course) but unfortunately it wasn’t possible. Maybe on the next trip to Toronto!
03/08/12
The Last Goodbyes
All good things must come to an end! After a fantastic summer, today marked the last day of our summer campus. We said goodbye to our last groups of students from Brazil, Spain and the Emirates. There were hugs and more than a few tears as students finished their last day of classes before heading to the Hard Rock Cafe for a fun-filled farewell party. Students had a great summer exploring Toronto, learning English and most importantly, making friends for life! Thanks to everyone for the great memories.
31/07/12
Casa Loma
An activity as grand and as rich in history as this, we had no choice but to leave Casa Loma towards the end of the stay in Toronto. Designed by E.J. Lennox, Casa Loma was built for Sir Henry Pellatt for a small fee of $3.5 million dollars back in 1911 before losing it all during the poor turn of economy that struck during World War 1. The property was eventually turned over to the city of Toronto and remains one of the top tourist attractions to date.
Toronto Jazz Festival
A classic summer event for Torontonians, the “jazz fest” offers ten days of jazz-related entertainment in the streets of Toronto. With over 350 performances and 1,500 musicians, more than 500,000 patrons are in attendance for this not-to-miss event. Students, you’d better get those jazz hands ready for this!!
The Royal Ontario Museum
More than just a museum, The Royal Ontario Museum offers educational fun for people of all cultures and ages. Behind its beautiful new crystal exterior you can find not only an impressive collection of dinosaurs but also an extensive collection of worldly artifacts from natural history ranging thousands of years. The ROM strives to unite nature and humanity and as a result the students had a great time interacting with the exhibits.
The BIG Apple
This past weekend students embarked on the twelve hour bus ride over the boarder to visit our neighbours in the Big city, New York New York. They saw everything from the Statue of Liberty to Times Square- including such attractions as Manhattan, Broadway, Chinatown, Soho, and Central Park (just like in the movies!)- with no shortage of time for shopping of course.
But alas, exhausted after the overwhelmingly jam-packed weekend of excitement, students were happy to return back to their home-away-from-home in Toronto, safe and sound back in the classroom. See more pictures of the trip in the gallery.
