National park, Toronto and NYC

Welcome back! 3 out of 4 weeks are already over and I can't believe how long I've been here.

During Peter's actual break, we decided to do some traveling. A day trip to Quebec National Park was the first thing on the agenda. Part of the park is a mountain with a lake, which is very impressive. We were extremely lucky with the weather, which made hiking a little easier. Apparently, I was with 3 enthusiastic, experienced hikers, which made the trip a bit more challenging for me. Hiking for me is, at best, a flat path through beautiful landscapes, preferably without difficult ups and downs. So more beginner-friendly. As is the case in life, not everything always goes as you dream it.

In terms of landscape, the park is really beautiful and you could still see the yellow and orange trees in some places. Unfortunately, most of the leaves had already fallen. I would have loved to see this colorful tree landscape.

After a short hiking break, the next destination was New York City.

The cheapest way to travel in Canada and the USA is by bus. We took the famous Greyhound Bus, which is not as great as it looks in the movies. We wanted to travel at night so we could sleep during the 9-hour journey. Unfortunately, we couldn't sit next to each other because so many people wanted to go to New York and we were at the back of the line. I think I only slept for 2 hours out of the 9, which didn't make the trip any more pleasant. The bus driver also got lost within the first 10 minutes, so we had a 1-hour delay. I don't think she knew the route very well because she took us through some small, run-down villages. We finally arrived with a total delay of 2.5 hours.

It was fortunate that Peter has friends all over the world. One of his friends lives in Brooklyn and provided us with an empty storage room with a mattress. I had already looked for Airbnb or hostels in advance, but the prices are unimaginable. We also found out that Airbnb is illegal in New York, but they still have numerous listings on their website. So it worked out well for us.

The neighborhood where we stayed was in deep Brooklyn. Brooklyn's image has improved a lot in recent years because it is not as expensive and there are many artists and students living there. However, I must say that I wouldn't walk alone there at night. I had a few Manchester flashbacks.

Peter had never been to New York before, so we did the typical tourist trip. Lots of walking and taking lots of photos.

On the first day, the weather was amazing. It was a pleasant 18 degrees and made the city shine. Everyone was in a better mood and it was just nicer. We walked a lot, but also had to take the subway a lot because the city is just so huge. Just as you have to take the bus in London, you have to take the subway in New York.

Of course, the Times Square in New York is a must-see. On the second day, we visited Central Park.

On the third day, we walked around Brooklyn a bit and took the ferry to Staten Island. Staten Island wasn't that impressive, except for the view of the city. But the ferry is free and it was definitely worth it.

After three days, it was time to return. The anticipation for the return journey was huge, after this unforgettable journey there. This time, we were able to sit next to each other and I even got to sit by the window. This time, I probably slept for 8 hours out of the 9. So that's a better score.

After a day off in Montreal, we headed to Toronto on Friday. We carpooled because train tickets are incredibly expensive. On the map, Toronto doesn't look that far away, but it's almost 600km, so a 5-hour drive by car. The speed limit here is 100km/h. I had to think the whole drive how much faster you could have covered this distance if it went like it does here. Because 100 feels extremely slow.

Toronto is slightly bigger than Montreal, but it didn't impress me as much. It is the financial center of Canada and is therefore very business-oriented. We went to the Toronto Islands and just walked around the city.

I actually only wanted to go to Toronto because I wanted to see the Niagara Falls. And I have to say, it was worth it. The weather wasn't optimal, but it always rains a bit at the waterfalls. You can't imagine the amount of water plunging into the depths there. And once you've seen these waterfalls, all other waterfalls look like babies.

However, it must be said that after 2 hours, you have seen everything if you are not interested in additional costs for a boat ride or other tours. However, we had over 6 hours until our bus returned to Toronto. So out of boredom, we went to the casino, which I naturally liked. It felt like a completely different world. Like a bad and very depressing dystopia. Mostly retirees sit in front of these machines and press a button at a regular interval, as if their brains have stopped and hope to earn a few dollars, as if it were the only purpose in life.

What I didn't know is that, in addition to this incredible natural phenomenon, a leisure and tourist area has been created. It reminded me a bit of Las Vegas, but as a very bad version. There were small roller coasters, bad chain restaurants, and it just felt completely wrong. As if the waterfalls weren't entertaining enough for tourists.

It was super ironic to walk down this street because on one side you see this natural phenomenon and on the other side, a completely nature-destroying road with people who probably can't appreciate this phenomenon at all.

That's all from the big trip to NYC, Toronto, and Co.

Unfortunately, I only have one more week here and our last destination is Quebec City.