Toronto

The night was short. After all, I slept until 4:00 AM – Mika even made it until 6:00 AM. We set off quite early to find somewhere for breakfast and found a small café. For a sandwich, a coffee, and an orange juice, we casually paid 45 dollars there – not per person, but in total. No matter – it was still nice.

After that, we continued to the CN Tower. We thought it would be a good opportunity to get an overview of Toronto – in the truest sense. And indeed, it was impressive. We almost overlooked the glass floors. I wouldn't have thought it would be so hard for me to stand on it. Even though you know everything is safe, something within you resists.

Especially memorable was a woman who took a long time to dare to step onto the glass surface. I took a photo of her – actually a bit mean, I don't usually do that. But in that moment, I just had to smile. Perhaps because I recognized a bit of myself in her. That cautious approach, the inner resistance – it was familiar to me. In the end, she overcame her fear. And I found that quite brave in a quiet way.

After the CN Tower, we walked to the St. Lawrence Market. On the way there, we stumbled into a demonstration – loud people wearing the same hats and holding signs. It wasn't immediately clear what it was about, so we just asked someone. The woman we spoke to was incredibly friendly. She immediately showed more interest in us than we did in her, and even apologized that “her” demonstration might disturb our visit. In the end, it was about better wages and working conditions – and both of us were really touched by her openness.

In the market itself, there were countless stalls with food and freshly prepared dishes – perfect for our lunch and a few small purchases. The atmosphere reminded me of Sydney: People everywhere on the streets, business lunches in the sun. And while Toronto was just coming to life, we were already quite at the end of our day. So back to the hotel: to the gym, to the pool, a nap, and some reading.

In the evening, we went out again. A musician was playing in a square; we let ourselves drift a little and simply enjoyed the moment. But it was really hard to stay awake.

Observations of the day:

• It feels strange to be six hours