theDIBB - Our first taste of Canada - Day 5 - Harbourfront, Brewery Tour and home.

Our first taste of Canada - Toronto and Niagara Falls

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Day 5 – Thursday 28th May 2015

Martin woke at 7am and I woke at around 7:45am.

We lazed in bed for a little while, discussing the day ahead and watching the weather forecast on TV. Katie Face Timed us, and we chatted for half an hour or so.

We'd been thinking we'd be up and out quite early, but yet again it was almost 10 am when we left. In our defence we had done a little bit of packing as well.

We walked up Wellington Street towards a place we'd spotted for breakfast yesterday.

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We found it quite quickly and went in ... No not the Ritz Carlton, the Sunset Grill next door!

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Martin ordered bacon, eggs and home fries, while I just ordered toast. An apple juice and orange juice completed our order.

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Breakfast was lovely and a real bargain at just over $17.

We walked back to the hotel to finish most of our packing, passing this on the way. Have no idea what it is. :confused2

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We left the hotel again and walked down to the harbour front, for the last couple of hours before our brewery tour.

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We had a bit of a wander, then decided we needed a cold drink. The first place we found was Amsterdam Brew House - just the job. We asked for a table for drinks and opted to sit in the shade, as it was very hot today.

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We were led to an outdoor bar area, that had some lovely seats overlooking the boardwalk and lake. Now this is the life! Martin ordered a local beer, while I had a diet coke.

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We had a few things to occupy us whilst sat there enjoying the view.

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Even the odd cloud was interesting. :)

We didn't want to leave, so decided to order another round, although I ordered a vodka and lemonade this time.

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During this time, the sun moved, and I could feel my feet burning. Thankfully I had sun cream in my bag, so smothered them!

We finally left at about 1:30 pm and headed the short distance towards Steam Whistle Brewery ready for our 2pm tour.

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We checked in and were given another free sample each while we waited.

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A little before 2pm, our guide Alexander called us together and invited us to take a headset. Now although there had been only 10 spaces when we booked in yesterday, there were a few extra people on our tour – about 14 in total.

We walked through to the hall, where Alex got us all a bottle of beer each, fresh off the line. We had a little toast to Bonzo and Alison for passing on their complementary tour tickets that they were unable to use.

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Thanks Bonzo! :beer:

We continued through the tour, which was very informative. Our tour guide kept us laughing throughout. Apparently, if you work there, you get 3 free beers at the end of every shift and a 24 pack every fortnight. There's even a staff patio area. I'm sure the free beer would be a novelty at first, but you'd quickly tire of it!

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The staff patio - it looks like he's had a few already!

At the end of the tour, we headed back to our hotel. We'd got a late check out, so could keep our room until 4pm, so we made use of the facilities to have a quick shower each to freshen up.

We finished the last bits of packing and checked out, storing our bags with the hotel. We decided to go for a late lunch, so headed back to Real Sports Bar and Grill, where we'd started our Toronto experience.

We easily got a table this time, and were shown to a circular booth, in front of a huge screen. Martin ordered a Kilkenny and I ordered a Puck Bunny cocktail. We both ordered burgers again, with Martin having mushrooms and bacon added to his. I ordered another cocktail and Martin had a diet coke this time, due to driving once we landed.

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Headed back to the hotel at around 5:30 ish, collected our bags and relaxed in the lobby while we waited for our car service that we'd pre booked earlier today. At 6pm, our driver arrived and we began the journey back to the airport, feeling sad to be leaving. :cry: I'm sure this was helped by the fabulous weather we'd had.

Within half an hour of arriving, we'd dropped off our bags, cleared security and was on the way to the gate - C33.

To begin with I was regretting going through security so early, as there seemed to be little in the way of shops and restaurants. However as we moved further towards our gate, there seemed a lot more.

I was particularly excited at spotting a bottle of Grey Goose vodka for the bargain price of $49 for 1 litre. I'm sure duty free on the way out had them for about £50. At that price, it would have been rude to leave it on the shelf. ;)

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Clarins travel packs also seemed a bargain - I use the Hydraquench range serum and moisturiser - they had a pack of both for $49 too. I'm sure I pay at least £30 for the serum alone at home.

We settled down at the gate in some very comfortable chairs. At various points through the airport I noticed tables with iPads and charging points available. There are credit card machines close by, so I assumed they were charges to use them. After about 20 minutes, my curiosity got the better of me, so I went to have a closer look.

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You are asked for your flight details, so it can keep you updated while you surf the net. You can also order food and drink from your seat, hence the credit card machine nearby. A great idea! Still can't believe they provide it for free. I even spent a bit of time Dibbing!

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It was soon time to board, about 20 minutes late due to the inbound flight being delayed.

We had the rear two seats again, which were even better this time. There was a lot of space behind us, so we could recline fully without bothering anybody.

They boarded people quite quickly and we were soon taxiing down the runway. Although slightly delayed, the predicted 6 hour flight time home meant we'd still be landing half an hour early at Heathrow.

I'd taken my travel sickness tablets, so was asleep before the drinks service even came round, let alone the food service. The flight was fairly bumpy though, so I woke up a lot. Martin ate the chicken dish that was on offer, watched a film then managed to grab a couple of hours sleep too.

Pretty soon, they came round with a breakfast snack, which was a cranberry and orange muffin. It was very welcome considering I hadn't eaten for almost 12 hours.

We landed at 9:25 UK time, which was about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. We quickly progressed through the airport, cleared immigration through the electronic gates, then headed to claim our baggage. Luck was on our side - within 2 minutes of approaching the carousel, our bags had arrived. We left the airport, headed up to level 4 of the car park to the purple parking meet and greet area, and collected our car keys. Would definitely use the meet and greet service again.

Travelling home was a little tense at times, as it started hammering it down! The spray was horrendous, on a busy M40 (which was busy because the M1 was closed near Luton).

We arrived home at about 12:30, got the bags in from the car and collapsed on the sofa.