Down Under Visits the North Country, Part 5

Stephanie  McCarthy continues her log of the trip she and her husband took to Canada this past summer.  From Australia, Steph records her observations of the quaint cousins of the North County of North America! - GNH

At Kitchener we were greeted by the Marshalls, friends of Glenn and Barb Holliman, and from then on we were dreadfully spoiled. Nancy and Ron made it their mission to pick us up every day from our B&B and take us somewhere different and interesting. Immediately we felt at home in Kitchener, not just because the Marshalls made it so, but because in many ways it is similar to our city of Adelaide – an unhurried atmosphere, wide streets, gracious old Victorian buildings, lots of lovely trees….

Ron Marshall of Kitchener explaining how a camera, not a telephone, works to Maurice and Steph.  The statue is typical understated Canadian art.

But one aspect of Kitchener and the farmlands surrounding it was unexpected and quite fascinating. This was evidence of the Mennonite community, with their neat-as-a-pin farms, their women in long dresses and transparent bonnets, their men in trousers with braces, and straw hats with a black band. 

We saw plenty of children at play – dressed exactly as their elders. We saw Mennonites in buggies pulled by horses (ex trotters), and the draft horses set aside for the hard ploughing work. Most of their farms were not connected to electricity, but there is what Nancy calls a ‘continuum’, a new order where some of this next generation is choosing to engage partly in the modern world, while endeavouring to keep the worst of Western vices at bay.

I had some worrying questions, such as ‘Are the girls being held back from further education against their will?’ and ‘Are there exclusive Mennonite schools?’ but even after googling I’m really none the wiser, except to say that yes, there evidently are some Mennonite colleges and schools, some accepting funding from the Canadian Government, some not. All I can say for sure is that the Mennonites I met in their restaurants, cafes and gift shops seem to be genuinely healthy (none were obese) and happy, with no desire to push their way of life and beliefs on to anyone else (unlike some religious groups who spring to mind).

Although we never went near a French province, we found the French language at every turn, not spoken by the populace but ingredients written on almost every product in the supermarkets, and instructions given on every aircraft flying within Canada. Given that Google claims the small minority of Canadians who speak only French is 1.5%, I really feel this must be political correctness gone mad.  

Right, Pete and Steph in Toronto, Ontario.

We spent one full day in Toronto, a city with many attractions. Kim and Pete whom we knew from times past took over from Nancy and Ron and became our tour guides, driving us first into a ‘ritzy’ suburb where the rich and famous live in mansions with an average price of $8m give or take a dollar. Some of their gates would have cost half the value of our house, and most of the ‘castles’ made us gasp, but I wouldn’t have swapped our homey home in the Adelaide Hills for any of them.

 Toronto and the tower and the Australians.

Kim and Pete then took us to the ‘alternative’ suburb of Kensington, where we sauntered up and down one narrow bustling street for hours, marveling at the unlikely characters, the unlikely artwork which included a car chassis growing a healthy garden, and the unlikely shops, one of which offered ‘rolled ice cream’ and had an open window featuring a young man demonstrating the process from start to finish. By the way, my tub of rolled berry ice cream was sensational.

Our guides then drove us sedately through the gracious university grounds where several Asian brides were being photographed with the Victorian buildings as impressive backdrop, and suddenly we spied the full CN building in the far distance, framed by a narrow road. 

When we reached the tower the crowds were so dense that we needed to buy our tickets and return in two hours, so we headed for the nearby harbour boulevard. It was a vibrant scene, and the sun sparkled from the waters of Lake Ontario so vast that if our guides had not insisted it was a lake, we would have assumed it was the sea. The yachts and cruisers made a gorgeous sight, and we mingled with the crowds until it was time to head back for the CN tower. I relished the ride in the glass lift all the way to the top, and thoroughly enjoyed my eagle eye view of Toronto. My only discomfort, rather than the dizzying height, was the sheer press of humanity all about me.

More next posting!