Toronto

Well, we are sitting in Toronto airport lounge waiting for the flight to London Heathrow. Had to crawl out of bed at 4:50 this morning in time to have a quick shower, then downstairs to check out and jump into a taxi. The taxi took a while to arrive, but eventually we were on the way. Bouncing our way through the dark streets in a car that seemed to have more in common with a small boat than with other four-wheeled vehicles.

In my mind, Toronto was full of shopping malls and childrens' hospitals. The three days we had here were spent walking between the hotel (Econolodge - cheap), the children's hospital (to visit Zach), and the various downtown shops. The Eaton Centre is a nice airy place with a big Apple Store. Spent some time browsing the iPods, laptops, etc. Also a nice big Sony store with a 40-something inch Plasma TV. Drool....

The weather has not been great, and jackets were in order. Sonia took the opportunity to look through the shops and procure a new jacket. Funny how even with a single pack, there is still room to shove a jacket, two new pairs of shoes, and a pair of boots. The temperatures have grown colder as we've moved North (as you would expect). Vancouver was not bad at 20-26, Edmonton was warmer (mostly around 26), but Toronto has been down around 15 during the days. The wind whistling through the high-rise buildings doesn't help the temperature any.

In many ways Toronto is just another big city. Lots of people, the usual shady areas (we seemed to walk through them every day getting to and from the hospital), and the usual shops. Just different accents on the streets and brands on the posters.

It will be good to get to the UK - catch up with people who we have not seen for more than three years. A long time. See you soon....