  I woke at 5.40 am, with the sunlight filtering in through the small gap in the curtains. Looking out the window, Toronto was already starting to come to life. Aside from people already walking along the street, you could also see squirrels climbing the trees below. In fact the squirrels are everwhere in Toronto. Unlike European squirrels however, most of these were black. When we asked someone why this was, he replied it's so the Canadians can see the squirrels better in the snow!
I love a scientific explanation! After breakfast, (Eggs Benedict & English muffins in the hotel restaurant which I think was called Windows for those that like to know these things! )we went on the underground, and took a ride to the harbour, where we had arranged to go on a guided tour around the Islands that lay just off Toronto. The boat was entirely shielded with a clear plastic cover, except for a small gap at the side where we boarded the boat.
This was obviously the one place that we had to all queue up to take our photographs from, because anywhere else and the light from the flash bounced off the plastic and ruined the photograph. The tour was well arranged, and the information given was both interesting and funny. We learnt a number of things. The harbour itself has for a number of years been getting cleaner, because it was made a national urban area of protection and as a consequence all industry was gradually moved out, excluding a sugar refinery which was allowed to stay because it's impact on the environment was minimal. As the harbour became more healthy, more people moved in, and in just 10 years condominium prices went through the roof, rising as much as ten times their value. Along the harbour there is a venue where free concerts are performed. They range widely in music styles.
Some evenings you can hear Jazz, Blues, Rock-one week they even held a Karaoke opera evening. The Karaoke opera apparently got so many complaints, they were asked never to do it again!!!! From the boat the Skydome was pointed out to us by our tour guide. While it doesn't seem that imposing from a distance, it does extend 7 stories below ground as well. It was built in 1929 and is the home of the Blue Jays. The crowd capacity of the stadium is 55,000. The roof to the dome only takes 20 minutes to open, and is so cost effective it can be opened using just $10 of electricity (£4). We were told a story about the hotel that is inside the dome. The rooms initially were fitted with one way glass so that you could watch the game from the comfort of your hotel. Unfortunately, when the lights were on the spectators in the stadium could also see inside the room. Apparently, one year a honeymooning couple had booked a room in this hotel, and they were involved in a passionate 'embrace' during a live match, when a TV cameraman noticed them and pointed his camera up at their room. The director flicked a switch and their very animated 'embrace' was instantly transferred to a big video screen that the whole stadium could see! The match stopped, because the players also became distracted by the screen, and everyone started to clap.
Apparently, the only time in the SkyDome's history where there has been a standing ovation! In the afternoon we walked along the skywalk which is a connecting walkway to the CN tower. Bypassing the long queue because we had had the foresight to buy our tickets in advance we were allowed straight up the tower. We had the lift all to ourselves. The glass sided lift ascends the 400 meters to the top in just 58 seconds. In fact, the speed is such, your ears pop because of the air pressure. It's a very enjoyable ride.
The CN tower is the tallest unsupported structure in the world. It was built in 1974. One of the amazing facts that we learnt was that the concrete that the tower is built from, is actually one giant piece!!! It was built on site using a special process, and the concrete extend so far under the ground there is actually more below the surface then there is above it. It's design can withstand an earthquake 6.5 on the Richter scale. It's struck 50 times on average each year by lightening. The famous glass floor which people stand on to look below is called lexxon glass and is used on the Space Shuttle.
It is so tough it can withstand the weight of 8 African elephants. We had been told earlier in the day on the guided boat tour that the interesting thing about the glass that very few people seem to know is that while some people are too scared to stand on the glass, only venturing one toe on the edge because they imagine themselves falling through the glass to the ground below, actually it's glass under the carpet surrounded the viewing area as well, so for those who said they didn't have the nerve to stand on the glass and look down, they already had! On a clear day you can see 40 miles from the viewing platform. The only thing that made me a little homesick was a sign at the top stating that the CN tower is 5,728 KM or 3,559 miles from London. ( urlLink To see holiday photographs click here! ) 
