This is one of a series of posts about my trip to Canada. Most posts about this trip can be found here.

This was it then, the end of the holiday. But what a place to end it.

I didn’t have a huge amount planned for Toronto. A friend of a friend whom I’d met a couple of times in Manchester lived there, and I thought she might have some recommendations—but she ended up being a wonderful guide. On my first night, she met me outside the hotel and took me to a great restaurant around the corner. It was lovely to catch up, and then she mentioned her friend was having a party the next night and that I’d be very welcome. What better way to feel like a Torontonian?

Before the party, I had a great time visiting the Royal Ontario Museum. A superb museum, full to the brim with artefacts. There was a section on dinosaurs, a huge collection of stuffed animals under threat of extinction (or already extinct), and rooms filled with incredible things from across the world. There was also a special exhibition called SAINTS, SINNERS, LOVERS, AND FOOLS, celebrating 300 years of Flemish masterworks.

I then walked back towards to my hotel via the university buildings and found a pub (The Madison) showing the Manchester United match. It turned out to be the official Manchester United fan group, packed with supporters from all over the world. We won (which was a surprise), and that along with the sunshine made it a fantastic day.

The evening party was great. My friend is part of a running group (they do daft distances of 100km and more), and they were having a social with beers and a BBQ on the rooftop of one of their flats. It was still quite warm despite being September. It was a real blessing and much preferable to sitting alone in a bar trying to make friends.

My flight home wasn’t until 11 p.m. the next day, so after checking out of my hotel in the morning, I left my luggage there for the day and killed the hours with yet more walking across the city.

First was the aquarium next to the CN Tower, a wonderful showcase of fish and sea life. It was absolutely packed and clearly popular with families, but I had a great few hours watching sharks, turtles, and all the weird, alien-like creatures from the deep.

Finally, I had time to check out the Art Gallery, which also was full to the brim with amazing artworks. By the end of the holiday, my eyes were as tired as my legs. All that was left was to hop on the train to the airport and try to get some sleep on the plane to help with the jet lag (reader: he did not sleep well on the plane).

This trip was big. Big in scale, big in heart. I saw family and old friends, and made new ones. As I’ve banged on about throughout this series, Canada is truly a stunningly beautiful place. Not only in the landscapes and vistas I saw, but in the people I met. It’s somewhere I want to keep coming back to, and has given me the seeds of an idea to even live there one day.

I had a lot of time to think things through, to be comfortable with who I am. There’s a lot about me that I could improve, but this trip also showed me what I’m happy with about myself. I’m organised, good in new situations, open to new experiences, and able to make friends easily. I can be patient; I don’t have to use every evening to drink. I can experience life on my own, and even though it would be nice to have someone to say “remember when this happened,” meeting people and involving others in those experiences means you’re never truly alone when travelling.

I am wonderfully blessed to have been able to do all that I did. I hope I can show the same hospitality and kindness to travellers that I received over there.