The date was Sunday 2nd May 2010, and The Blue Jays were playing Oakland Athletics at home in the Rogers Centre, this was the only time during our visit they were going to be playing at home, so we made sure we were there!
The weather forecast had been that of misery to be honest, sunny to start with but soon turning into thunderstorms, so although it looked sunny as we set off on the journey to Toronto, with the hot sunny weather outside, we expected to be sat inside a pretty well protected environment, the Rogers Centre, keeping us dry from the rain. Baseball is a summer sport. It’s supposed to be played when the weather is good, hence baseball caps! The Rogers Centre is purpose built however, being designed to be played in whether its raining or sunshining, providing the spectators as well as players with a rain proof roof during rain, but being open to allow in the sunshine when it’s sunny! The venue was the first major team sports arena in North America to sport a functional, fully retractable roof. The roof is composed of four panels and covers an area of 345,000 square feet (32,100 m2). The two middle panels slide laterally to stack over the north semi-circular panel, and then the south semi-circular panel rotates around the stadium and nests inside the stack. It takes 20 minutes for the roof to open or close.
We parked up in the city centre, at the closest possible Car Park, sure it was $20 to park for the day, but it was as close as you could get – and with the CN Tower next door, you could always visit that after the game!

There are a number of entrances into The Rogers Centre, but the one we entered (above) was the first we came to – where you show the people at the door your ticket and walk through a turnstyle and then head on towards where your seat is located. Now, check your ticket (though you should have an idea as to where you’ll be sitting when you buy it) – it will have information about where your seat is. Ours was located on the 500 band seats, which is the highest up, so we walked up the concrete walk ways all the way to the top before exiting it to walk through the main concourse on that level. There’s no shortages of places to get food – and beer is sold at almost every stall! This is also the place where you’ll want to buy yourself some Blue Jays merchandise – at the very minimum why not get yourself a baseball cap? every few meters round this ring which goes around the entire Centre is both a mens and women’s toilets, so you wont ever have to worry about being too far away from the bathroom through the game, but more importantly you’ll see large pointy signs with numbers on sticking out of the wall with a tunnel underneath them. These numbers correspond to the section your seats are located in. So its simply a matter of walking until you see your seat section up on one of those boards.

As soon as you emerge from the end of that tunnel, you’ll suddenly see exactly how big this stadium really is. There’s a few things that gets you when you walk in, first is the size, next is all the high tech screens and boards around the Centre – then you see the lay out of the field, and if the roof is open you’ll see the CN tower towering over you like big brother!

We found our seat easily and scooted along before sitting down. Although the seats are arranged like cinema seats, person in front lower down than you, the seats are ever so slightly more cramped than in a cinema, but ultimately – I’m not of a particularly small frame and it had no effect on my pleasure there that day. So you’re sat down and finally can take it all in.. I came to thinking about that giant screen once again.. It is absolutely massive. Although we were sat on some of the highest seats, the view wasn’t actually too bad, and the screen made sure you missed nothing – as although you are sitting the other side of the stadium, it’s so big you can’t miss it. The main video screen in the Rogers Centre is called the Rogers Centre videoboard and is also known during Blue Jays games as “JaysVision”. Designed by Daktronics, the screen is 33 feet (10 m) high and 110 feet (34 m) across. The panel is made up of modular LED units that can be replaced unit by unit, and can be repaired immediately should it be damaged during an event. Originally, this screen was a Sony JumboTron before it was replaced. For a time, it was the largest of its kind in the world.. so yep, don’t worry about missing anything!

I went into the Centre knowing absolutely nothing about baseball, I’d never seen a game before and to be completely honest I’d not been interested in watching it on TV – But even with this, and thinking it may be similar to rounders i started getting to grips with the game. Now apologies to Americans and Canadians, and all Baseball fans all over the world if i get any of this wrong, but this is what a British newbie picked up about the game while i was there! To help you on your first game, this is how the game works! First, the game is played in 9 bits. These are called Innings. In each of these innings, both teams take their part in batting and pitching. The first team batting has as much time on the field as they want, PROVIDING they do not get 3 people out! There’s a number of ways to get people out. One being the pitcher on the mound in the middle of the diamond, throws the ball so that it crosses the batting plate between shoulders and knee height. If this happens and the batter misses it, it’s called a Strike. If the ball doesn’t pass over the plate correctly, but the batter goes for it anyway, and the bat crosses over the line in front of him, this can also count as a strike, but only if he’s not on 2 strikes already. If they get 3 strikes they’re out.
It surprised me the first time i saw this, but the pitcher can be sneaky, instead of throwing straight at the batter, should there be a member of the other team who has made it to 1st base, the pitcher can throw the ball to first base. The purpose of this is that the person on first base can stay a little away from first base plate, so he has less distance to run should the batter hit the ball, if he’s not touching the plate by the time the ball gets from pitcher to the person on first base – the player is out.
If the ball is hit by the batter, up into the air, but caught before hitting the ground, the batter is out instantly.
So that’s getting people out. There’s also the rule about “walking” this means the batter walking to first base by default. This happens if the pitcher on the pitcher’s mound throws 4 balls which aren’t over the plate or aren’t between shoulder and knee height. When this happens the batter can walk to 1st base.
The aim of the game obviously is to pick up Runs. This can only happen if they can get past what we’d call third base. This can be done in a sequence of runs from 1st to 2nd to 3rd, or in a Home Run, where the ball was hit by the batter so hard that the ball is knocked outside the player’s field and into the stands.
Finally, a Foul Ball is when a batter hits the ball coming from the pitcher, but the ball ends up not passing the line to the right and left of the diamond, and often ends up landing in the stands either side of the field (and so spectators can pick up a memento from the game!). If the game is tied at 9 innings, the game goes on until one team has won.

While you’re there, don’t miss getting yourself a foot-long hotdog.. trust me when i say they will be the best hot dogs you’ll have ever eaten!.. Both food and drinks are very pricey at the Rogers Centre, but as one person joked, it’s all part of the baseball experience!

The game ended, roof still open, sun still shining with the Jays having won 9 runs to 3.. and with us having no sun tan lotion/sun screen we’d burnt nicely in the sun.. a burn that took several days to clear up! .. So as a lesson to anyone going to a baseball game, whether you’re expecting it to be raining, or bright sunshine – make sure you go with plenty of sun screen and prepared for all weather!

After the game was over we hung about in the concourse area pictured above where the seat number section is pictured, this seemed to give the majority of people enough time to leave the building for us to head out without being in a large crowd. I was impressed at how easily everyone managed to get out of the building – there are plenty of exits so that people aren’t all bottle-necked into one place.

SO ultimately, although sunburnt i had a brilliant time at The Rogers Centre watching the Toronto Blue Jays, and although i knew nothing when i went in, i came out with a better understanding of how everything works, and maybe even a bit of a fan of the Jays and the sport its self!

If you’re looking to getting yourself into a game – check out the blue jays ticketing where you can see where you can sit, and choose seats according to price. When you’ve bought your tickets you can also print your tickets at home, and take them out with you so no problems with posting! – So there really is no excuse, don’t miss experiencing this for yourself – and head along to the ball game!

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We flew out to Toronto having used Canadian Affair, and they’re hands down the cheapest flights you’ll find – we always head out to Canada using them – so much that I wrote an article about them! Take a look at the article here, or click the logo below to have a look for some flights to Toronto from your local airport

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In 1903 Sir Henry Pellatt purchased 25 lots from developers Kertland and Rolf. Sir Henry commissioned Canadian architect E.J. Lennox to design Casa Loma with construction beginning in 1911, starting with the massive stables, potting shed and Hunting Lodge (a.k.a. coach-house) a few hundred feet north of the main building.

The Hunting Lodge is a two storey 4,380 square foot house with servant’s quarters. As soon as the stable complex was completed, sir Henry sold his summer house in Scarborough to his son and moved to the Hunting Lodge. The stables were used as a construction site for the castle (also served as the quarters for the men servants), with some of the machinery still remaining in the rooms under the stables. The house cost approximately $3.5 million and took a team of 300 workers three years to build from start to finish. Unfortunately, due to the start of World War I, construction on the house was halted. At 98 rooms, it was the largest private residence in Canada. Notable amenities included an elevator, an oven large enough to cook an ox, two vertical passages for pipe organs, central vacuum, two secret passages in Sir Henry’s ground-floor office and three bowling alleys (never completed).

Most of the third floor was left unfinished, and today serve as the Regimental Museum for The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. Pellatt joined the Regiment as a Rifleman and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the Commanding Officer. He was knighted for his dedication to the Regiment. Later, Pellatt served as the Honorary Colonel and was promoted to Major-General upon retirement.

During the depression that followed World War One, the City of Toronto increased Casa Loma’s annual property taxes from $600 per year to $1,000 a month, and Pellatt, already experiencing financial difficulties,was forced to auction off $1.5-million in art and furnishings for only $250,000. Sir Henry was able to enjoy life in the house for less than ten years, leaving in 1923. It was later operated for a short time as a luxury hotel. During the late 1920s Casa Loma was also a popular nightspot. The Orange Blossoms, later known as Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, played there for eight months in 1927–1928. Shortly thereafter, they went on tour of North America and became a major swing era dance band.

The city seized Casa Loma in 1933 for $27,303 in back taxes.

The castle was extremely run down and the city was motioning for the castle to be demolished. In 1937 however, it was leased by the Kiwanis Club of Toronto (currently known as the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma). Today, Casa Loma is undergoing a 15 year exterior restoration.

Contrary to popular belief, Casa Loma has never been an official residence of either the city or the Province of Ontario. In 1937 it was opened to the public for the first time as a tourist attraction operated by the Kiwanis Club of Toronto. Coincidentally, this is the same year that Chorley Park, the Government House of Ontario was closed by the provincial government.

During World War II, Casa Loma was used to conceal research on sonar, and for construction of sonar devices (known as ASDIC)for U-boat detection. The house is still operated by the Kiwanis Club. Today it is one of Toronto’s most popular tourist attractions.
Due to its unique architectural character in Toronto, Casa Loma has been a popular location for movies and TV. For example, it has served as a location for movies such as X-Men, Strange Brew, Chicago, The Tuxedo, and The Pacifier.
Casa Loma is open daily from 9.30 – 5 [closes at 1pm Christmas Eve and all day Christmas Day] its a good place to visit on a Monday when the other Toronto museums are all closed

Entrance prices are $16 for adults, $10 for seniors [60+] and youths [14-17] and $4.75 for children 4-13. There is a cafe and a large gift shop on site. The house is wheelchair accessible, but there are steps at each end of the tunnel from the basement to the stables.

If you’re looking to get the most out of the castle, why not take the self-guided audio tour (available in 8 languages) which is available for $2.00. For information about parking at the site check out the Castle’s website

The castle is located at:
Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 1X8

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The Museum is an incredibly varied world class museum which has a number of exhibitions which are on show for a limited time, as well as its many permanent collections – so even if you come back the next year, there’s always something new to see and explore.
Personally, I’m a great lover of history, and when i go to other countries i love to find out it’s history and past culture along with its current one. The Royal Ontario Museum gives you just this opportunity, with its Exhibitions such as the “Daphne Cockwell Gallery of Canada: First Peoples”, a gallery which has on display amongst many things, arguably one of the most famous of all First Nation Chiefs, Chief Sitting Bull’s Headdress, and four Iconic Totem Poles carved by the Nisgaa and Haida peoples of Canada’s Pacific Northwest Coast – these particular artifacts are some of the absolute must see treasures the museum has on show.

If you’re more of a Natural History fan, the museum is sure not to disappoint. James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs are some of those rare places you can come face to face with creatures what once dominated the planet before the age of mankind, with Canada’s largest dinosaur on permanent display, Gordo the Barosaurus, who clocks in at an impressive 27 metres (90 feet). Visitors may also recognise the Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Deinonychus, and the popular Hadrosaur specimens, Parasaurolophus and Maiasaura. Many of the species on display are real fossil skeletons!

Of coarse, its not just dinosaurs that existed in pre-history, Mammals existed as well, something which the Reed Gallery of the Age of Mammals is happy to display. View an impressive array of large fossil skeletons and unusual North and South American specimens in a new gallery that explores the rise of mammals through the Ice Ages that followed the great extinction of dinosaurs. The gallery also explores the time of the Ice Age, with a focus on specimens from Ontario. Fascinating skeletal mounts of a mastodon, a giant beaver, and a stag moose, are on display, as well as other specimens such as a short-faced bear, one of the last native horses, and Toronto’s namesake Torontoceros, an extinct species of deer.

Learn all about these fluffy flying creatures in the new bat cave!

One of the newly refurbished attractions to the museum is the Bat Cave! With more bats, animatronics and atmospheric sights and sounds, kids will love discovering the real stories behind these mysterious creatures of the night. Highlights include an audio-visual show that explores cave formation, how bats use echolocation and more, and a spectacular dramatisation of bats in flight during a nightly exodus for food!

There really is so much on offer at this museum that I’ve bearly scratched the surface – If you want to have a look at a full list of everything that is to offer at this amasing museum – check out their website’s gallery pages.

The museum, currently is open 7 days a week, 10:00am to 5:30pm Except Fridays where you have the opportunity of staying later until 9:30pm. It’s open through all public holidays except Christmas Day (25th Dec.)
To get up-to-date opening hour information, as well as the admission prices.. and information about their half price Friday evening discount – have a look at their website’s ticket information page.

The museum is located at:

Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON
M5S 2C6

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For all Parking information, as well as the Museum’s entrances – click here to go to their information page

So, while you’re in Toronto, dont miss out on this amasing full day out for all the family!

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The Canadian National Exhibition has been around for well over 75 years, taking place on the outskirts of downtown Toronto, this exhibition shuts down an area of 8 city blocks around the Direct Energy Center in the historic ‘Exhibition Place. The exhibition started in 1879, after the success of the last years traveling fair, it has always been host to the most state of the art technology. The shops and attractions have always represented the interests of the Canadian public, which has drawn in well over 6 million people from around the world in the last 10 years of the CNE.

(The kids fair ground at the CNE, Photo© 2009)

In this article I’ll take you through the pride of Canada’s aviation history, and long time partner of the CNE, the Canadian International Airshow.

As to it’s name the CIAS has been wowing crouds for 60 years, and celebrated it’s 60 year anniversary at the CNE, on the same day that Canadian aviation took flight 100 years ago with it’s first powered aircraft, the Silver Dart which took flight in 1907. Watching this airshow brings back the history of this still proud and powerful nation through the message of flight.

This years CIAS contained airshow preformers from around the world, both civilian and military, I have listed them below, with the planes they fly (for you aircraft buffs out there!):

Canadian Heritage Flight: CF-18 Hornet, CT-114 Tutor, and the F-86 Hawk One Sabre.

USAF Heritage Flight: P-51 Mustang, F-16, and F-22 (The F-16 was replaced this year durring the show by another P-51, due to an engine failure)

The RCAF SnowBirds: CT-114 Tutor

The USAF Blue Angels: F/A-18 Hornet

The Horsemen: P-51 Mustangs

Matt Chapman: CAP 580

RCAF: CF-Griffon Helicopter

Mike Wiskus: S-111B

Mike Goulian: Castrol Aviator Extra 330SC

Russell Air Group: Spitfire

Royal Canadian Air Cadets: Airforce Training Gliders

As well as naval appearences by the Canadian Navy’s HMCS Ville De Quebec.

(The Canadian Heritage Flight going over the HMCS Ville De Quebec, Photo© 2009)

This years CIAS lasted well over 4 hours, with tributes to both modern and past Canadian and international soldiers. I have included this and many of my favorite moments of the CIAS in the following video clip, sadly I was un-able to get pictures/video of the RCAF Snowbirds due to the extreme length of the airshow which required me to move on to eat, so grab a bite ahead of time so you can see all of this amazing airshow!.

I’ll leave this article about one of the greatest airshow experiences in the world with a gallery of photos from the CIAS at the CNE 2009.

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Prince Edward County (“the County”) is a region of southeastern Ontario that juts out into Lake Ontario. With its abundance of water, fresh air and wide-open spaces, the area has become increasingly popular with visitors, artists and Toronto residents… oh and it’s only 130 km / 81 miles (about 90 min drive) away from down town Toronto! The perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Prince Edward County is especially distinguishing itself among foodies, with the introduction of organic farms, wineries, breweries and cheese factories. Top chefs have been drawn to the area for the abundance of local goods.

Prince Edward County weather is about the same as that of Toronto or Buffalo. Summers are warm and humid, Autumn is cooler with gorgeous fall colours, winters are snowy and cold and spring is warming up but wet.

Summer is certainly the most popular time to visit, with cottagers arriving on weekends and plenty of other visitors arriving to enjoy water activities, camping, biking, and all the other outdoor fun that the County offers.

Some of the County’s top attractions are..

* As of 2009, many of the County’s wineries are young, but look forward to more wineries and more mature wines.
* Arts Trail is a journey of the County’s many studios and galleries.
* The Waterfront Trail hugs Lake Ontario, stretching from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border – including through the County – along major roads, off-road dedicated paths and residential streets.
* Taste Trail comprises more than 20 wineries, restaurants, cheese shops, breweries and apple cider producers.
* Antique shopping is popular in the County, with primitive Canadiana pieces especially prevalent
* The County is a natural spot for bird watching as it’s a catch-all for migrating birds during spring and autumn

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Prince Edward County has many B&Bs and cottages to rent, inns and resorts. As the towns are all quite small, and currently there are no major hotel chains. See the full accommodation lineup.

Campers can set up at Sandbanks Provincial Park, but book early. The dunes and beaches of this park are popular and campsites fill up early!

Toronto families have been scooping up property for cottages in the County for about a decade now, so it follows that there is plenty for children and their parents to do, so why not have a look at taking a trip to the following places and events:

Sandbanks Provincial Park is a beach with loads of dunes and sandbars that is a delight for kids. Camping is available but book way in advance.

Maple in the County gives visitors the chance to watch the maple-syrup-making process.

Pumpkinfest is an annual October event.

All this and it still doesnt cover the food! The area has some of the country’s best chefs and resteraunts, so for the moment, until we feature some of them in the future i’ll let you head out and do some discovering of them for yourself!

For more information about Prince Edward County – check out their website: http://www.pec.on.ca This site lists all the accomodation, so should you want to stay for a night – this is the site you want to visit.

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Fancying a week away in October? Canadian Affair are doing outbound flights from Manchester to Toronto for £129 on 13th October and a return flight on 22nd October for £131.50 – 2 return flights to Canada for 2 people coming to an incredible £522.80, INCLUDING all taxes!

Toronto as seen from the CN Tower

Or, if you’re planning on booking for next year – try May
Flying from Gatwick – flying out on Sunday 2nd May the flight to Toronto is only £129 and if you fly back May 16th – 2 return flights to Toronto would only cost £648.40 including all taxes.

Flying from Manchester – flying out on Saturday 1st May the flight to Toronto is again only £129 and if you fly back Sat May 15th, again two return flights to Toronto would only cost £648.40 including all taxes.

Check out the prices for yourself at their Website!

So, what about my experience with Canadian Affair? Well every time i have ever visited Canada, i have always booked through Canadian Affair. This is because back in 2005 i went hunting for the best prices and Canadian Affair won hands down every single time. Since then I’ve been on 12 separate flights booked by Canadian Affair and I’ve never had any major problems what so ever.
What I’ve found on review sites are a few people who mention Overbooking being a problem.. I have only ever seen this happen twice out of my 12 flights. Canadian Affair’s method to deal with overbooking is very generous and they try to make it as fair as they possibly can – The first time i knew my flight was overbooked was my flight out in May this year. An apologetic person went through the check in queue asking for Volunteers, letting people know the flight was overbooked and offering them if i remember right over £100 off their next Canadian affair flight and accommodation for the night if they would take the offer of going on the next flight out to Toronto. It is entirely voluntary – BUT do as i do. ALWAYS get to your check in when it opens, just because you have 3 hours to check in doesn’t mean you can get there an hour after it opens – if you get there first, whether you have booked seats or not, you will always be guaranteed to fly out on the flight you booked.. Oh and the second time? My return flight last Saturday, this time the apologetic Canadian woman going through the queue was offering £250 off the next Canadian affair flight, as well as accommodation for the night if someone would volunteer to transfer flight. £250 was the entire amount i payed for that flight! So as you can see Canadian Affair do all they can to be fair and honest to their customers.

Thomas Cook 757 at Toronto in June 2006

How about the quality of the flights? Well, I’ve flown on Thomas Cook and Air Transat as I’ve mentioned before (as well as My Travel before they were bought by Thomas Cook) and the food – in my opinion – for airline food was top quality. Thomas Cook, being a British airline company will usually serve two hot traditional style meals (such as a chicken dinner or pasta bake) or, depending on the time you’re flying a hot meal and a snack – usually of a small sandwich, crisps, cheese and biscuits and a branded chocolate bar. Air Transat however are a French Canadian Airline and the food you find on these flights are usually different, with a nice french/American twist to their meals – for example a carrot and cinnamon muffin for breakfast, and a portion of three bean salad with your hot meal. On either Airline you fly with i have always found the service by the crew very helpful and polite, and in the case of my flight back last Saturday very patient, since my partner kept accidentally pressing the “call” button on the armrest!

Entertainment varies on your flights greatly. It’s very difficult to say that there is good entertainment on specific flights simply because everyone has different preferences as to what they want to watch. Most of the flights operated by Air Transat or Thomas Cook in my experience have TVs that come down from the roof, so offer only a single channel of TV. These usually include two recent movies one oriented at kids, and another oriented at Family, or in the case of when i was flying back last Saturday on a Thomas Cook A330, we had three films which pretty much filled up the whole flight – Pink Panther 2, 17 Again and Aliens Vs Monsters. If you’re lucky – some of the Thomas Cook A330 Planes have back seat TVs built in, which gives you a much greater choice of what you can watch – but my tip is if you’re pretty specific about what you like to watch, try take a PSP or small DVD player with you, or maybe even a good book, for the programs or films you may not feel like watching

The GPS Map Channel on Thomas Cook A330 Aircraft

My experience with Canadian Affair has always been positive, speedy response to queries be it email or telephone, kind personal responses which make you feel respected and valued, great quality service and flights and the absolute best prices.

If you book with them for your next Canada Trip please email them and let them know if you’ve had a great flight and service, also feel free to leave a comment here to let everyone else know what you think! The funny thing about us British is we’re always quick to complain, but we very rarely take the time to complement – and Canadian Affair, certainly over my last 12 flights deserve all the compliments they can get! So let me know your experiences with Canadian affair by leaving a comment!

If you want to look for the latest deals, the cheapest flights are made easier to find, when you get to the home page after clicking the link to Canadian Affair below – check the “Special Flight Offers” section on the right, it’ll take you to the list of all the lowest priced flights and which dates they’re on, so go check it out at Canadian Affair!

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The Toronto Eaton Centre is a bright and airy shopping mall in the heart of Toronto’s downtown that houses more than 250 stores – the third largest mall in Canada and measured by visitors, Toronto’s biggest tourist attraction. Millions of tourists from around the world visit this world-class shopping centre for its architecture, culture and urban atmosphere. The stores will appeal to the budget conscious and spendthrifts alike. The Guest Service Info Desk offers a wide selection of brochures on Toronto attractions, theatre and entertainment. Visit the Info Desk on Level 2 for a free city map!

Yonge and Eglinton (Midtown)
Known as “Yonge and Eligible” due to the young professional crowd that inhabits this area, Yonge and Eglinton is less pretentious than Bloor-Yorkville and offers cool, unique finds mixed with mainstream GAP/Starbucks appeal. A mall and indoor shopping concourse are on the corner, or walk north on Yonge and peruse a variety of interesting clothing, home decor and book stores. Buy yourself something pretty and head to one of the many area clubs and eateries to hang with the beautiful people. Yonge and Eglinton is about a 15 min subway ride from Union Station or Eaton Centre on the Yonge line heading north.

Kensington Market
If you’re someone who wants to get away from highrises and department stores – if you don’t want to shop at The Gap or drink coffee at Starbucks, Kensington Market offers a nice respite from the usual big commercial trappings. Adjacent to Chinatown, Kensington Market has a plethora of retro shops, cheap and used clothing stores, cool cafes, furniture shops, great restaurants, and a variety of ethnic and organic produce stores.

China Town Toronto

China Town
Toronto has the second largest Chinatown in North America. People will find bargains on exotic trinkets, jewellery, clothing and household items. Plus, of course, where there’s a bustling Chinatown, there’s delicious food, and Toronto’s Chinatown is no exception. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of restaurants serving not just authentic Chinese, but also Vietnamese and other Asian fare. Chinatown runs along Spadina from King Street to College.

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The Hudson’s Bay Company
Canada’s oldest corporation has several different store chains in Toronto and thousands across Canada. The flagship store is right across from the Toronto Eaton Centre on the corner of Bay and Queen. The Bay is a good old fashioned department store with everything from clothes to household items, and a place to have a little lunch. The Bay is particularly famous for its Hudson’s Bay Blanket, sold for more than two centuries!

There are many other places and stores you can visit, but there really is no better way to find places – usually gems, by taking a day to explore Toronto for yourself! So, head out, hit the streets and enjoy your amazing shopping holiday in Toronto!

If you’re planning a shopping visit in Toronto - remember to check here for hotels and prices

And click here for more information about flights and pricing from the UK to Canada

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A My Travel A330 - my outbound flight in 2006, taken through one of the windows in the (now converted into a resteraunt) viewing area at Gatwick Airport

OKAY! Lets think earlyish next year.. In Ontario – particularly Toronto you get some absolutely perfect weather in May – the temperature never gets too hot, and usually is a comfortable teen temperature – with a nice warm sun. Also, booking a holiday in May also helps you save a valuable holiday day – as there are two opportunities to book your holiday over a bank holiday – so you only use 9 days instead of 10 over a two week break! – So! lets get planning!

Right.. So – FIRST UP! — Dates.

1st May 2010 – is a Saturday, so if we’re booking 2 weeks – we’d be flying back 15th May 2010

Now we have some dates, we can start looking at booking our flights etc! – Lets do Toronto!

SO – booking using Canadian affair – flights out from Gatwick Airport to Toronto Pearson – Return, Two people, flying out 01/05/10 return on 15/05/10 cost us £648.40 including all taxes!

Okay, that’s flights – now hotel!
Using Ebookers – The Super 8 Toronto East, ON offers us those dates for £581.56

So that means – effectively you have the basis of a holiday for two weeks, for two people in Toronto, Canada for just £1229.96 – or £614 per person!

Booking early really can pay off though – the prices for the flight above would have been £572.40 had you booked those flights last week!

So chin up everyone! Summer’s not quite over yet! Grab yourself some ice cold beer, cider or lemonade, break out the BBQ and enjoy the remainder of the summer – knowing next year you’ve got a great holiday to look forward to!

…….. of coarse .. this is if you dont take advantage of Canadas awsome skiing season! .. more on that coming up in the next few months!

For looking at Flights to Canada – check out Canadian Affair

And for Hotels – have a look at Ebookers

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Canadas Wonderland Entrance

Canada’s Wonderland is a 330-acre (1.3 km2) theme park in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, 30 kilometres north of downtown Toronto. The park is open seasonally from May to October and contains more than 200 attractions. It opened in 1981 and was Canada’s first major theme park.

Canads’s Wonderland has 12 roller coasters – the latest featured coaster being the Behamoth; Canada’s fastest, and tallest rollercoaster – At over 5,300 feet (1,616m) in length, Behemoth sets the stage for thrills with a climb to a height of 230 feet (70.1m), followed by an adrenaline pumping 75 degree drop with speeds reaching 125 kilometers per hour in 3.9 seconds. The coaster will then take riders through the ultimate coaster experience with high speed twists and turns, including double banked flat loops (horizontal loops) and eight extreme drops. Intensifying the action packed adventure, the ride will feature prototype open-air seating that will allow all riders to experience an unobstructed view of all the thrills and excitement on one of North America’s best coasters.

Canadas Wonderland

But the park isnt all about big rollercoasters! There are a huge selection of other rides such as the Antique Carrousel, Ghoster Coaster, Klockwerks, the flying chairs – Swings of the Century, Timberwolf Falls and a whole load more!

Canadas wonderland really does go all out though for children – providing many areas aimed specifically at kids! – to name just a few:

SpongeBob SquarePants 3D
SpongeBob Squarepants stars in a deep-sea 3D motion simulator movie ride at the Action Theatre – The world’s only ocean motion movie ride!

Nickelodeon™ Central
Nickelodeon Central is a themed area, with three rides and a host of loveable Nickelodeon characters, including Jimmy Neutron, Dora the Explorer and Blue

Zoom Zone
Catch planes, trains and rocket ships in Zoom Zone, the ultimate transportation station. Families will find thrills for all ages in this themed area.

Jimmy Neutron’s Brainwasher
The Yokian King has captured parents and children in the Brainwasher – a sinister invention equipped with evil technology. Boy genius Jimmy Neutron, a super-intelligent pre-teen boy with his robot dog Goddard will undertake a rescue mission to battle the evil alien and stop the Brainwasher before it is too late – Let’s hope Jimmy’s gadgets don’t backfire!

Rugrats Toonpike
The Rugrats are at it again; finding trouble and adventure around every corner. Join them in the driver’s seat at the Rugrats Toonpike. Drivers and navigators will need to team up to bump other drivers, while they avoid being bumped themselves.

For an entire list of rides at Canadas Wonderland – check out their rides list

So, you’ve got the park, the rides – how about food?! Well, at the moment Canada’s Wonderland are doing a great offer – if you buy your tickets online you get to go into the All You Can Eat Picnic! And we’re not just talking about sandwiches and sausage rolls, we’re talking about Fried Chicken, flame grilled Burgers and Hot dogs, Salad, Pastas in sauce AND UNLIMITED soft drinks! So remember to get your tickets online to be able to get into this big eat for yourself!

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2 return flights to Toronto (giving you 11 nights there) for £523.00! and your total price including flights and accomodation for two people: £845.86

Toronto sky scrapers

Here’s how to find it! The Flights are booked with Canadian Affair with their current sale that’s on! – Click their logo below and then search for these dates:

Outbound
From: London Gatwick
To: Toronto Pearson
Departing: 24th September 2009

Return
From: Toronto Pearson
To: London Gatwick
Departing 5th October 2009

then select the flights departing London gatwick:

Departing: Thu 24 Sep 2009 11:45
Arriving: Thu 24 Sep 2009 15:05
By: Air Transat
Flight No. TS323
Non-Stop
Airbus A310

Then your return flight:

Departing: Mon 05 Oct 2009 21:35
Arriving: Tue 06 Oct 2009 09:55
By: Air Transat
Flight No. TS142
Non-Stop
Airbus A310

And there you have it! £523!

So – now – the accommodation!

Check out ebookers for those dates, hotel only – and order by lowest price

First hotel is the Motel 6 Toronto Brampton for an estimated £322.86
Second is the Travelodge Richmond Hill at £423.39

Bringing you to a total of £845.86 for 2 return flights to Toronto, and 11 nights accommodation in Toronto! If you can get the time off work, this would be the deal of the year!

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