Temp -3 degrees celcius. Clear skies becoming overcast
Temperatures warming slightly as we decend south.
Had to get up early and pack this morning. We booked the 0900 bus to Montreal so we had plenty of time to pick up the hire car and drive the 6 or so hours to 'Toronno'. The bus arrived for pick up about 15 to 20 minutes late. As it was we made good time to the airport. The journey was uneventful apart from spotting a couple of deer grazing on the fairway periphery of a snow covered golf course. We picked up the car in good time. They didn't have the sedan we were expecting and offered a pickup. In the end we were given a silver Hyundai Senata. Actually a very nice car with huge boot space. Everything is electric and automatic including the doors locking while in gear, and unlocking when in park. Getting the lights on was interesting. Everyone was driving with the lights on but as the dash lights are turned down this made it difficult to read the electronic instruments. I also suspect the speedo under read. I stuck to the speed limit only to find people whizzing past as though I was standing still. The speeding fines, that signs regularly reminded you of, indicated 20km over was a $95 CAD fine ranging to 40 km over at $295 CAD. Occasionally it was pointed out that 50 km over was loss of license, $10,000 CAD fine plus car impounded.
I wasn't given winter tyres (tires here) which concerned me a little. Apparently it is illegal to allow a Canadian rental car into the USA on winter tyres for a drop off. Off the East coast there had been severe Atlantic storms and wet weather (rain and flooding) while down around Buffalo and New York severe snow falls and blizzards closed off the airports and created huge road hazards. Initially I was more concerned with the drive from Montreal to Toronto as just before Christmas roads were closed, people caught in vehicles for up to four days, with reported deaths and extraction of stranded travellers by helicopter. All this at one point only 100 Kms from where we were driving. In the end my mind was closer to Buffalo and the hope the roads clear and airports would be open by the time we were due to fly out, and better still the backlog of stranded flyers were cleared. All told the drive to Toronto was a breeze. Roads were very dry with outside temperatures up around -1 degrees C for the duration. A brief stop at Kingston to view Fort Henry brought back some memories. The wind was chilly and as the sky was becoming overcast and the light fading (it was only 1500hrs) we didn't hang about. Very slight snow fall as well. $5 CAD to visit the fort and probably better to visit during warmer months as more happens then.
We continued on with the GPS directing us brilliantly into Toronto along the 401. We found the Delta Chelsea and stayed in room 1163. We had dinner in one of the five restaurants in the hotel having a true French Onion soup for entree. After dinner Kylie and I ventured into 'Toronno' to look at some of the shops.
After the short walk it was time to retire.
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