Things I Learn About Canada..ok, Ontario.

 

I finally went to Canada recently and found out IT IS AWESOME!   I want to explore this enormous country more.  I really only saw parts of Ontario, but I did learn a lot about Canada while I was there. Things like:

 

  • Canadians DO say things like “eh” and ‘ah-boot’.  A lot!  But really only in Mattawa.

 

  • They are food geniuses!   Can you say ‘POUTINE’?

Praying to the Poutine Gods

 

 

  • There is an annual clown festival in Toronto.  Screw Barnum&Bailey  – the Toronto Festival of Clowns is the greatest show on Earth!

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  • Black flies suck.  Actually they bite. The bites suck!

 

  • There is amazing amount of wilderness and places to get back to nature.

 

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  • Ontario has the largest rollercoaster in Canada.  I think riding The Leviathon, qualifies me to never have to ride another roller coaster again.

 

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  • Toronto is just as, or more expensive than, New York City.

 

  • You can’t visit LEGOLAND unless you are with a child. Except on specific nights they open it up to adults only.  Or you are with a press trip.

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  • The Canadian dollar is a coin and is called a “Loony”.

 

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  • Their $2 are coins too.

 

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  • The most valuable Canadian coin is the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) coin.  At $3 CAD per ride, you better make sure you always get a transfer ticket!

 

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  • Toronto is full of amazing vintage shops! Like actual vintage – cheap and full of character, not nuevo-vintage (ie: overpriced crap).  THRIFT SHOPPING IN TORONTO IS A MUST DO!

 

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  • Many people are bilingual.  I heard just as much French as English (and many times both mixed in the same sentence).

 

  • There is a million cool things to do just north of Toronto.  This area, called Central Counties, has bike trails, ropes courses, and that damned Leviathon (at Canada’s Wonderland).  You can do these as day trips from the city, or just stay up there.

 

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  • Toronto is way closer to the USA than I thought.  Only a few hours away.

 

  • Canadians are the nicest people.

 

  • Toronto is hipster hell, but without the hipster attitude.  I’ve never seen so many skinny jeans, Tom’s shoes, and random outfits of awesomeness (like the one below) in my life, but I didn’t run into a single hipster snob.  Everyone seems to just do there thing and respect yours.  I love Toronto!

 

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  • There is a type of mushroom in Ontario that I am told will paralyze you if you touch it.  Of course, it was all I could do NOT to touch it to test this information when they told me.

 

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  • Toronto is one of the most ethnically eclectic cities ever. I also love that there doesn’t seem to be the anti-anyone-who-looks-possibly-Muslim racism there, like there is in the USA.  Well, until I got to customs at the airport…

 

  • You go through USA customs AT the Toronto airport, so you don’t have to do it upon arrival in the USA.

 

  • Clowns are dirty perverts!

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These are just a few things I learned form a week in Ontario.   I can’t wait until I can see more of Canada!

 

Cheers!

About Dani Blanchette

I am a freelance travel and music photographer and creator of GoingNomadic.com.
I love music, food, and exploring cities without guidebooks. I’ve flown a helicopter, hitchhiked down the east coast USA, and once snuck into the back of a zoo (in Serbia) and pet a lion.
I am always up for an adventure, and sometimes I videotape them.