Dessert 3

Another mouth-watering photo of a light and sweet strawberry dessert.

Blue Jay

Widlife in Canada seems to be pretty colorful, as you can see on this photo of a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in residential areas. It is predominately blue with a white chest and underparts, and a blue crest. It has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest.

They are very pretty, but also very loud. Once you hear them, you are able easily recognize them without even seeing their colourful uniform.

School bus

The same long yellow busses as in US, take children to school and back home also in Canada.

Dessert 2

Not lately I posted my first example of Canadian desserts, here is another. A new taste to me: strawberry shortcake. Yummy cream, strawberries and dough.

Friend in bike

I, once again, found my way to a bike. I am very used cycling and whenever I go, I tend to attract a bike, so I could enjoy my commuting the fullest. Here are some shots of my dear companion.

Low-light photography

I am discovering Canadian nature through photography. It has been very fun to play with long shutter speeds.

E.T. in the forest

I found this cool E.T. looking branch in the nature.

UPDATE: I won in October 2nd price in a nature photography competition: http://looduskaitsering.blogspot.ca/2013/10/loodusfilmiohtu-ja-fotokonkurss.html

Ballahack country

 My first hike to Canadian forest showed me lots of beauty of a nature in spring.

Those who know which is the shape of Estonia, then they will find something familiar on the above photograph.

The name of this post is not quite accurate, but after one particular conversation I call it like that. Precious place where I am always happy to return.

Sunset 1

I think there will be more lovely sunset photos on this blog, as I am learning about the beauty in Canadian skies during sunset. Lovely.

Easter Dinner

This is how my plate of Easter Dinner looks like. All vegetarian. Protein is missing though.

Happy Easter!

My first Easter in Canada. New traditions to learn.

As I found out in here in the morning of Easter Sunday parents are hiding different kind of eggs, mostly made of chocolate (in Estonia you could only dream of something like that), all over the home for children to find them. My host was pretty smart finding creative spots to set the eggs. Cool!

Porcupine

I forgot to share this photo earlier, but this is the first exotic animal I saw in Canada. I saw it roaming slowly toward the tree and then climbing up on the branches. At one point it took a moment to peek behind the bole of the tree and that is when I shot this frame.  

Western terrestrial garter snake

Well this cutie pie you see here is not a danger,but a snake you would most likely come across while gardening. Remember the name garter snake and it is yellow and black color and relatively small size and you are out of trouble.

Attack

On my first nature walk I was able to see how attractive the warming asphalt is for the snakes. It is April, so they are waking up. This Northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) was very vicious and tried to hit its teeth to my hosts rubber boots. Scary! Thank god I made the shot.

Truck country

Many people seem to have trucks in the countryside - makes sense as you can move lots of stuff with it and you will not be stuck on flooded or muddy roads. I like them. F150 is one of my favorites.

Elections

 

I was surprised to see on my first real day in my new home for a 1,5 months that a Liberal candidate David Remington paid a visit to my hosts household. I was lucky enough to get these snaps of his visit and what he brought and what happened to the billboards.

Is this is how it is going down in Canada in smaller places?

Common Crackle and Red-Winged Blackbird

Surprise snow in Windsor, just before our leaving to the countryside which will be my home for the next month. 

Birds in Canada seem to be pretty and coloruful. New species for me.

General Motors Headquarters at night

That is how the Motor City looks like from Windsor at night. Not the best shot though.

Morgan

Virginianne has a Morgan in her garage, which she showed to her friends. It was my first time seeing the famous Morgan. The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The family-owned company was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan.
Morgan is based in Malvern Link, an area of Malvern, Worcestershire and employs 163 people. Morgan produced 640 cars in 2007, all assembled by hand. The waiting list for a car is approximately one to two years, although it has been as high as ten years in the past.

Welcome to Ford City

Since Windsor is so close to Detroit, USA many its plantations were located in Windsor as well. You can see the signs of referring to the Ford City. It is not hard to imagine what is going on there as well - emptiness. Houses have been left behind and questionable people walking around, so it is not a pretty view. I was able to visit one of such buildings as pictured above. In the next post.

Detroit downtown from Canada

A peek to Detroit from the bridge, just before entering the US.

Glimpse across the river to USA

Detroit River divides Windsor and Detroit. Strong and very automotive looking General Motors headquarters are greeting its visitors.

We decided to go on this lovely Sunday to check out Detroit's Art Museum and maybe drive around some in the abandoned city. Curious to see how it really looks after seeing so many great photos of it online.

Squirrel

Squirrels I have seen in Estonia are small, light or red, not black.
It is going to be interesting.

Mary

This is Virginianne's mother Mary.

We all enjoyed the tea, snacks and little cakes.

Virginianne

Our host in Windsor, Virginianne is a great artist, dog lover and loves to have fun.

She is an only person who has just one name in her passport. Yup.

Dessert 1

I have a gut feeling that there are some great sweet discoveries for me out there in Canada. Here is an example of my first delight.

Northern Dancer

Little I knew that the host, artist Virginianne, is so famous and known. She had made a bronze sculpture of a horse called Northern Dancer to The Queen Mother and it was delivered to her and a thank you note was sent to her.

More about Virginianne soon.

Canadian hat

Today my first Canadian road-trip started. I met my host and her friend and we took off from Etobicoke to Windsor. Hope I can get to Detroit as well.

This hat was given to me by Dana, who I met in Iceland. She left when I was off at another camp and when I came back to Reykjavik, she had left me a bag with few goodies in it and my favourite item was this lovely red hat.

Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

My last photo of the first few days in Toronto is of the widows of Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

Hopefully I will get a ride with my host tomorrow to Windsor, Ontario, perphaps I get to visit even Detroit and after few days I hope to end up in my new home for a month - artisan gallery. Needless to say that I am excited.

CN Tower 1

Walking down on University Avenue I noticed an interesting monument of human figures. More interesting was the view I saw through it, as CN Tower fit in perfectly into the hole of the monument.

This is the first glimpse to CN Tower, the most famous landmark of Toronto internationally. More to come in the future.

Street art

What more can I say?

OCAD University

I approached to OCAD building by westside, so I really didn't get the whole idea of how wonderful the architecture os the Ontario College of Art and Design is, now OCAD University. I am not sharing a photo of the entrance of the building, so I can leave something for the future, but this springy photo of the back of the building has to do. 

OCAD is the Canada's largest and oldest educational institution for art and design. 

When you think of Estonia, then this is most definitely EKA, Estonian Academy of Arts. 

More about OCAD Univesity here.

Chinatown

Every big city seems to have its own and original Chinatown. We walked around there heading South on Spadina Avenue, which crosses with Bloor West. You see, it is not that difficult to walk around here, as blocks make it much easier. If I do not make sense, then please have a look at Tallinn, Estonian capitals downtown map HERE, to see how CRAZY it is to find your way there. 

Chinatown is busy, loud, colourful and offering many shopping opportunities for everything you can think of. Eating out there seems to be easy, as variety is wide. Spadina Avenue is long and wide, so it definitely needs another, closer look up of the place. 

Royal Ontario Museum

ROM.
ROM?
ROM!

You will hear people talking about ROM or billboards ROM written all over, but not quite get what the ROM stands for. That what happened to me, even before I made it out the city. My host said, that probably you girls would like to go to ROM. 

So, ROM is the Royal Ontario Museum of world culture and natural history. It is one of the largest museums in North America, attracting over million visitors every year. Museum will celebrate its 100th birthday in three years. If you would think that they have 6 million items and forty galleries, then it doesn't take a mastermind to realize that this is a diverse collection of world culture and natural history.

I didn't visit the museum, as not much of a museum visitor, but I peeked inside and got an idea how large the building is. What was more attractive to me, is the entrance of the building they call The Crystal. Some tend not to like it, but some adore. I adore, as it offers great photography.

Please read more about ROM from Wikipedia.

ROM is located not far from Queen's Park, just north from it, on the intersection of Bloor Street West and University.

Sir James Pliny Whitney

A little history lesson.

The monument of Sir James Pliny Whitney I found at Queen's Park while exploring the city with a French Couchsurfer I shared the room in Etobicoke. Little I knew about him, but after I opened Wikipedia, I found out that he was a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was also a lawyer in eastern Ontaro and the sixth Premier of Ontario.

Man, famous enough to have his own monument in a lovely park for pedestrians.

Yonge and Dundas Square

I, as a decent tourist of course continued my walk at the downtown core. Just next to Eaton Centre at one the most famous corners in Toronto, which is the intersection of Yonge and Dundas, the famous square by the same name is located.

It is a public square where apparently lots is happening. Also if you know something about Toronto next to Yonge street (the longest street in the world, but more about that later), then this is Yonge and Dundas square, which is a prominent landmark and one of the city's prime tourist attractions.

You may call it the Canadian Madison Square, as the intersection is the busiest in Canada serving over 100 000 pedestrians daily. 

More about the square from Wikipedia.


NB! 100 000 is the number of inhabitants at my home town Tartu, Estonia.

Eaton Centre

This is a shot revealing you some of the biggest mall in downtown Toronto, that is how they advertise it. Check out their webpage: http://www.torontoeatoncentre.com/ and most likely this is a mall you are going to visit while in Toronto.

I must say I got a bit dizzy while walking around there, as I am not much of a shopper, but if you are, then please, shop away! Variety is mind-blowing.

The mall was named after the now-defunct department tore chain that once anchored it. 

If more interest about the architecture and the mall, please check Wikipedia about Eaton Centre.

Toronto City Hall

The first photo I took in Toronto. Photo with a real meaning.

This is the new city hall, which is just few steps away from the old and much smaller building. The imposing building is one of Toronto's most distinctive landmarks.

Wikipedia is sharing about city hall following:

Revell’s design consists of twin towers surrounding a white disk-like council chamber which is mounted on a raised platform, with entrances located below that are open to the public. There is also a ramp located on the left side of the front entrance that connects to the platform and also leads to the council chamber. The two towers are of unequal height as the east tower is taller than the west. The facades of the twin towers are ribbed with concrete only on the convex surface while the concave facades are lined with glass windows and marble panels. The City Hall is nicknamed “The Eye of the Government” because it resembles a large eye in a plan view. Revell died a year before the New City Hall was completed.

Viljo Revell, by the way is a Finnish architect.

Estonia is 80 km south from Finland.