Quebecois Observant visitors may notice that something rather bizarre happens when they step into Quebec. All signs of English simply... disappear. Yes, EVERYTHING is in French! Except it's not French as the French know it, but rather a strange dialect that is closer to how the language sounded in the 17th century when France colonised Canada. For Anglophones, imagine a place where everyone spoke Shakesperean English!! Enough to confuse anyone... n'est pas? You can probably guess that Montreal and Quebec City were very... French looking, and yet I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was still in Canada. Maybe seeing Gap stores and Starbucks by the dozen had something to do with it? It gave me a taste of Europe without leaving North America!

Toronto Ah, Toronto. The sparkling city by Lake Ontario. In a lot of ways, the city reminded me of Sydney. Maybe it's the tower, the waterfront, the modern buildings, the bustling city atmosphere, the endless urban sprawl? Maybe because it was stinking hot while I was there? I stayed with the Tan's, distant relatives of mine, in the suburb of Brampton. From there I explored downtown Toronto, did some shopping, saw a dozen movies, and visited Niagara Falls. A lot better than two weeks before when I was chasing little kids around the woods!