RO: Da, recunoastem ca avem ce-avem cu Quebec-ul cand vine vorba de Canada. C-o fi mai pe sufletul nostru de europeni, c-o fi Montrealul cu toate locurile lui care mai de care mai interesante si cu mancarea din toate colturile lumii, c-o fi Quebecul cu farmecul lui medieval ori c-or fi prietenii geniali care ne fac de fiecare data vacantele mai frumoase si mai altfel, nici nu stim. Cert e ca ori de cate ori ajungem in Canada, tanjim dupa provincia Quebec. Insa dupa o scurta vizita de nici mai mult nici mai putin de doua zile in Sandbanks, un parc national din preajma lacului Ontario, am ajuns la concluzia ca nici provincia Ontario nu-i de colo. Iar cand vine vorba de Toronto, ei bineeee, lucrurile sunt cum nu se poate mai surprinzatoare 🙂 Din pacate insa nu am avut mai mult de doua ore sa vedem capitala provinciei Ontario, asa ca ne-am facut un wishlist de locuri frumoase pe care vrem sa le vedem data viitoare, cand vom fi mai putin pe fuga 🙂

EN: Yes, we do admit that when it comes to Canada, we’re dying for Quebec! Not sure why – probably because of the fact that it resembles more with our European heritage, or maybe because of Montreal, the city with so many interesting places and all that food from all around the world, or maybe because of Quebec with its medieval charm and last but not least our genius friends that make our holidays in Canada more and more beautiful each time we visit them. One thing is certain, each time we arrive in Canada, we’re craving for Quebec province. But after a short visit to Sandbanks (no more than two days :D), a national park around Lake Ontario, we got to the conclusion that Ontario province is not bad at all! And when it comes to Toronto, oh well, things are extremely surprising 🙂 Unfortunately, we only had two hours to see the capital of Ontario province, so we made a wish list with the places we want to visit next time, when hopefully we won’t be on the run 🙂

RO: Adevarul e ca iti trebuie ceva curaj sa te aventurezi sa speri ca vei vedea ORICE in Toronto in doua ore, avand in vedere ca traficul este absolut infiorator – probabil la orice ora din zi si din noapte, nu doar la orele de varf. Si cu proaspata amintire a drumului spre Niagara de acum trei ani (cand am pierdut doua glorioase ore stand in traficul blocat complet de pe autostrazile din jurul orasului), am avut ceva emotii ca vom pierde avionul spre casa 🙂 Dar cum draga de Canada tine mortis sa ne impresioneze cat sa ne dorim sa ne intoarcem an de an, am reusit sa ajungem in timp util, cat sa ne ajunga sa vedem skyline-ul faimos al orasului. Pentru cinci minute si doua cadre prinse rapid, dar nu-i bai 😀 Insa lista noastra de vizitat includea fie skyline-ul, fie o fuga rapida prin centrul orasului. Iar de-am fi ales vizita in centrul orasului, asta am fi vrut sa vedem in cel mai aglomerat oras canadian 🙂

EN: Truth is that you need a bit of courage to venture to hope to see ANYTHING in Toronto in just two hours, considering the tremendous traffic – at any time of the day, not only at rush hour. And clearly remembering our last trip to Niagara three years ago (when we lost two glorious hours stuck in traffic on the highways surrounding the city), we were really scared that we’ll miss our flight back home 🙂 But hey, Canada really wants to impress us so that we can come back here every year, so we finally got in Toronto in time to see the famous skyline of the city. For five minutes only and a couple of pictures taken in a rush, but that’s no problem 😀 But our list of sightseeing included either the skyline or a quick stroll in the city center. And if we would have chosen the city center, that’s what we would have wanted to see in the most crowded Canadian city 🙂 





RO: Turnul CN – de la sine inteles, cand spui Toronto, spui CN Tower, probabil cel mai emblematic si mai cunoscut punct turistic al orasului. In tineretile lui demult apuse, obisnuia sa fie cea mai inalta cladire din lume la cei 553 metri ai sai, insa evident, in prezent continua sa coboare in topuri 🙂

EN: CN Tower – obviously, when you say Toronto you automatically say CN Tower, probably the most iconic and well known touristic attraction in town. In times gone by it used to be the tallest building in the world at 553 meters height, but of course, nowadays it keeps going down in this kind of tops 🙂 

RO: Piata Nathan Phillips – faimoasa piata urbana cu semnul multicolor cu Toronto, unde se afla primaria veche si noua si piscina care pe timp de iarna se transforma in patinoar.

EN: Nathan Phillips Square – the famous urban market with the multicolored Toronto sign, where the old and new City Halls are and where the pool transforms into a huge skating ring during winter time. 

Photo Source: http://www.fortwoplz.com

RO:  Harbourfront – Pentru o scurta plimbare printre cladiri inalte, iahturi si pentru o poza perfecta cu Turnul CN in departare. Pana la urma, pentru o mica relaxare urbana dupa tot haosul din oras. Foarte aproape de aceasta faleza se afla si Simcoe WaveDeck, o platforma interesanta de lemn, arcuita, o locatie foarte potrivita pentru poze si relaxare. Iar putin mai incolo de ea se afla parcul Canoe Landing, cel renumit pentru sculpturile colorate. Si de ce nu, plaja urbana Sugar Beach 🙂 N-or avea ei canadienii plaje exotice si calduroase prin apropiere, insa profita la maxim de lacul Ontario – si bine fac!

EN: Harbourfront – wandering through tall buildings, yachts and taking a perfect picture with CN Tower at distance. In the end, an urban relaxation after all the chaos from the city. Really close to this area is Simcoe WaveDeck, an interesting arched wooden platform, perfect for pictures and some relaxation. And just at a stone’s throw away there is the Canoe Landing Park, renowned for its colorful sculptures. And why not, the urban beach Sugar Beach 🙂 Maybe the Canadians don’t have exotic beaches nearby, but they do make the most out of Lake Ontario – and good for them! 

Photo Source: www.theguardian.com

RO: Credeam ca doar orasul Quebec se mandreste cu al sau castel impunator? Ei bine, cine ar fi zis ca Toronto, inima corporatiilor si cladirilor de sticla, are si el un castel de toata frumusetea in centrul vechi? Casa Loma se numeste si arata ca scos din pozele perfecte de Instagram 🙂

EN: Did we think that only Quebec has an imposing castle? Oh well, who would have thought that Toronto, the heart of all corporations and glassy buildings, also has a really beautiful castle in the old city center? Casa Loma it is called and it looks like taken out of those perfect Instagrammable photographs 🙂 

Photo Source: handluggageonly.co.uk

RO: Cladirea Gooderham – un fel de Flatiron newyorkez, aduce un pic de farmec gotic printre cladirile de sticla din districtul financiar.

EN: Gooderham Building – a kind of New York-ish Flatiron Building, it brings a bit of Gothic charm between all those glassy buildings in the financial district. 

RO: Distillery District – cartierul hipsteresc plin de cafenele, restaurante si strazi boeme, unde pe vremuri de mult apuse se afla cea mai mare distilerie de whisky din lume. Ce credeam noi, ca numai scotienii ori japonezii sunt pasionati de potiunea minune? Ei bine nu, si canadienii joaca un rol tare important in lumea whisky-ului, iar in acest cartier se gasesc o multime de baruri de whisky, ba chiar se organizeaza tururi de degustat diverse tipuri de whisky (asa numitele Whisky Trails). Iar daca whisky-ul in sine nu prezinta mare interes pentru noi, cartierul este pliiiin de cladiri victoriene ce obisnuiau sa fie depozite sau magazine de whisky, multe galerii de arta, magazine, tot soiul de evenimente si multe, multe restaurante.

EN: Distillery District – the hipsterish neighborhood full of cafes, restaurants and bohemian streets, where in the past used to be the biggest whisky distillery in the world. What have we thought, that only the Scottish or the Japanese are passionate by this miraculous potion? Oh well, seems not, as the Canadians also play quite an important role in the whisky world, and in this neighborhood there are plenty of whisky bars to choose from, and there are also tasting tours organized in the area (the so called Whisky Trails). And if whisky itself is not very interesting for us, the neighborhood is fuuuuul of Victorian buildings that used to be warehouses or whisky shops, lots of art galleries, shops, all types of events and lots of restaurants. 

RO: Cum toate acestea ar fi umplut deja timpul pe care il aveam noi alocat pentru Toronto, ne oprim aici cu lista 🙂 Insa pentru cand om sta mai multe zile, o sa adaugam un food tour in Toronto, pentru ca aici, la fel ca in Montreal, e paradisul celor pasionati de gastronomia lumii si/sau de toate tentatiile mai mult sau mai putin dietetice (a se vedea spre exemplu nebunia de gelaterie Sweet Jesus ori cafeneaua Fika Cafe, faimoasa pe Instagram pentru zidul acoperit de carti vechi). Apoi o zi intreaga de hoinarit pe insulele orasului si de ce nu, inca o vizita de-o zi la Niagara. Pana la urma, nu degeaba or purta masinile din Ontario placute de inmatriculare cu sloganul “Yours to discover” 🙂

EN: As all these would have already filled the short time that we had for visiting Toronto, we’ll stop here with the list 🙂 But if we’ll ever have a couple of days to visit, for sure we’ll add some food tour in Toronto, because here, as well as in Montreal, it’s a real Paradise for those that are passionate about the world’s gastronomy and all those more or less dietetic temptations (just take as an example the mad ice cream shop Sweet Jesus or Fika Cafe, famous on Instagram for its wall covered with old books). And then an entire day wandering on Toronto’s Islands and why not, one more visit to Niagara. In the end, there’s a reason why the cars in Ontario have number plates with the slogan “Yours to discover” 🙂