Canada / Toronto, Niagara Falls, Tobermory

The journey to Toronto itself was an experience. My first flight from Charlotte to NY La Guardia was delayed by 40 minutes. The transit time there would have been 'normal' 1 hour and 5 minutes, so I only had 25 minutes to leave the plane and get to the right gate. Of course, I arrived at the check-in desk last, especially since I had made a stop at a food stand :)
I flew to Toronto on the smallest airplane I have ever been on - it only had 18 rows of 3 seats (it felt like a private jet!).
Due to the significant delay, the fear that my backpack would not arrive was greater than usual, but this time it also arrived. :)

Kiri, my cousin, was already waiting for me in the lobby. I recognized him immediately, but at first he was a little confused - understandably, as I'm sure something has changed in me in the last 17 years. Of course, both of us have social media and knew what the other looks like, but after such a long time it was special. The reunion was very great, as we got along very well back then. A friend of Kiri's picked us up by car and we spent the rest of the evening at a South Indian restaurant.

Toronto celebrated its 150th anniversary this weekend, so I arrived at the perfect time. Proud Canadians were everywhere, marching through the streets with their flags. Throughout the weekend, various activities or concerts took place at different locations. We spent most of our time at Nathan Phillip Square, one of the main locations right by Toronto City Hall. We enjoyed live music and street food. Of course, a visit to the CN Tower was a must - the view over Toronto was breathtaking. We also walked through the streets of Toronto and went from one neighborhood to another. Toronto Downtown reminds me a little bit of New York with its skyscrapers.

The absolute highlight was the visit to Niagara Falls. Another friend of Kiri's took us with his family. As soon as we arrived, Kiri and I got on the boat, which took us to the center of the falls. We were surrounded by water and got a refreshing splash.
The border between Canada and the USA runs right here and is separated by a bridge. Canada definitely has the better view of the Niagara Falls, as the water comes from the American side. We stayed around the falls for a while, had some food, and eagerly waited for the nighttime fireworks. As darkness fell, the Niagara Falls were illuminated and at exactly 10:00 pm the spectacle began - just wonderful!

The following week, I spent exploring Downtown and nearby neighborhoods and parks, as Kiri had to work. In the evenings, we often went to tasty restaurants. Another friend named Sassy came over regularly. We often drove around in his car and stopped by a Starbucks or Tim Horton's (Canada's Starbucks) to treat ourselves. His topics of conversation were, with few exceptions, exclusively about women and his questions were always direct. I found it amusing at first and played along until it became too much...

The trip to Tobermory with more friends of Kiri's is also noteworthy. Tobermory is a small town by the water and is about 4 hours away from Toronto. The journey to Tobermory is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. We had lunch at the harbor of Tobermory and then boarded our booked speedboat. First, the boat took us past a sunken shipwreck, which was very visible through the crystal-clear water. Then we went to Flowerpot Island. We spent a few relaxed hours exploring the entire island and taking a refreshing dip.

The last few days were filled with traditional Tamil festivals and a visit to a temple. Kiri was exactly as I remembered him - very loving and helpful! I lacked nothing in the past two weeks and can only thank him very much! I hope it won't be another 17 years until I see him again.

My trip is coming to an end, but there are still a few more destinations on the agenda. Micha, my friend from the language immersion program in Santa Monica, is already in Medellín. I will share an apartment with him for the next few weeks and enjoy the city.

Oh yeah, the day before departure, I received the news that I passed the English Cambridge Advanced course!! My trip couldn't have started any better :D