Month: July 2019

August 1, 2005. East Way from Toronto to Montreal. Kinston, Oshawa (Ford Manufacturing Company), Pickering (Ontatio Nuclear Atomic Energy Plant), Cornwal and many others are passing by. The names of the streets are repeating the Toronto’s streets: Bloor, Prince Edward, Anne, Jane, John, James and so on. 

August 1, 2005 at 7-30 p.m. Arrived in Montreal. Stayed in the “Thrifty Lodge” by the address: 3270 Barclay Str., Apt. 7-b Cote de Neige District, Montreal.

August 2, 2005, Montreal. Spent the whole day downtown, taking in the beauty of the Cathedrals: St. James, Notre dame de Montreal’s, St. Margarette’s with its Gottic style, the beauty of interiors and exteriors. I felt in Montreal at that moment as if I were back in St. Petersburg, Russia. Along the St. Lawrence river embankment many interesting things are going on. I attracted to the clown’s tricks performing on the street, small cobble stone street showing its three and a half century origin. Janko’s fluent French was helping everywhere. He was in his element. He was my tour guide and generously shared his knowledge of old city history. We walked and walked, and talked.

In the afternoon we took a ride by Montreal Metro (before there were only two lines, now three) to a cute small suburban town Longelle to visit Janko’s Mom at the nursing home “Trinity Manor”, room 211. Her name: Suzanne Anne Heinz Holly, a tiny, well-groomed nice woman, lying in bed. “I cannot walk”, she warned-“Already for 5 years. Before I used a walker.”

“I am your son Jim.” said Janko.

“Okay.” she answered and smiled. It was hot on that day everywhere: outside and inside, and I noticed Suzanne’s face was wet with sweat. I took a face cloth, rushed to the tap water, squeezed it and returned to Janko’s Mom. I refreshed her face with water, and she smiled even more, now at me. She said “Belle femme”. I helped her with the plums we brought with, handed a bucket of red roses and poster with verses. She was so pleased with our attention to her that her eyes were lit up with joy. I remembered Robert Burns’ poem “A Red, Red Rose” which I recited for her:

“O my Luve is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O mu Luve is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass…”

The visit to Janko’s Mom was wonderful!

Listen, please:

https://youtu.be/0TeQG66IKJ4

(to be continued)

July 27, 2005. Drove the whole day and part of the night: 16 hours Janko was behind the wheel, exhausted but satisfied.Real hero of driving.  Stopped overnight at “Canadian Inn”, Sudburry. (61 dollars per night)

July 28, 2005. Browsing around Sudburry, a good-size industrial mining town full of grocery stores and other necessary things for decent living.

July 28, 2005. Wawa. Trading Post and Museum? the big sign of Goose on the Road and Gift Shops. Visited Wawa and bought the shipskin to cover my chair (130 dollars).

July 29, 2005. Toronto.Stayed a few nights at Valery and Natasha Narivanchyks’ place.

The whole day we spent down town . Toronto with its Tower and other big and small buildings did not impress me at all. Just a place to reside and survive. Many open markets as in Russia and Ukraine. Big Russian and Ukrainian communities here, the people even don’t bother speaking English in Canada, they communicate in their native language.

July 30, 2005. Niagra Falls. The way to Niagra Falls took us 4 hours instead of one hour and a quarter. It seems that all population from countries the Caribbean Sea from the USA and Canada is travelling to Toronto for Carafest in opposite directions than we are. “This festival helps in healing, by letting black and Caribbean people overcome their feelings of loneliness, being outcast and being racialized- if only for one day. This is real Carnival, when society is turned on its head and the rich are poor, and the poor are rich, when men can be women, when straights can be gay and all vice versa.” Cecil Foster (Adopted from cover story at nowtoronto, 2005.)”I am Mr. John Brown, bus driver, but on this day I am the King of Siam. I can go back to regular life to-morrow, but to-day, don’t touch the King. That’s the essence of Carnival.” David Rudder.

We took a boat trip om “Misty Maid” in transparent raincoats ’cause it felt like having shower by salty  dispersing water. The American side of Niagra Falls is completely different, smaller and not so impressive.Canadian resort town Niagra Falls is booming, full of American and foreign tourists, streets are designed in Holliwood style, with Haunting houses, Museum of Movie stars, Wax figures, games for kids and adults. Two big casinos.

On the photos Janko is in Toronto (above), Janko is in Niagra Falls (to the left and to the right)) and one photo of Caribana Advertisement.

(To be continued)

July 22, 2005. Brandon. Stayed overnight, 65 dollars per night.

July 23, 2005. Browsing around Brandon was not impressive. Everywhere the same Wall-Marts, Canadian Tire, Zellers stores. It seemed that we did not leave our native Sunridge Mall Calgary.

Heading for Winnipeg, the capital city of Mannitoba where Janko’s brother Karl lived. Arranged to meet him and his wife in “Transcona Inn” for dinner. Wandering about the city of Winnipeg, visiting the Parliament Building of Winnipeg with the sculpture of Bears around the Park. Touring inside the building, but outside there was a wonderful concert of Japanese drummers, Cari Shean music and others. Fundraising for Protection of Devil Lake Waters.

July 25, 2005. Kenora. Lake View Hotel, stayed overnight, 61 dollars per night.

That evening we went for a boat ride “MS Kenora” around the Lake of the Woods. It was unforgettable beauty of nature. We saw a huge painted rock which stands at the narrowest point of deep-water channel known as “Devil’s Gap”, just a couple miles from downtown Kenora. There is no road to it, so it is best seen from the water by a local cruise boat or private boat. This “spirit rock”, or “Wendigo” as known by the Ojibway Indians, became the recipient of articles of value in order to seek its favour in guiding them through the treacherous water safety.

We bought two tickets for supper on board and participated in it. On the photos to the right and left are shown: me, two brothers Carl and Jim Holly, the spirit rock, our tickets, Janko at the Kekabeka Falls.

July 26, 2005. Back on the road along the shores of the Lake Superior Ontario. CPR is our third companion of our Trans-Canada journey. Two roads are two hard workers.

Kekabeka Falls

The name of the place sounds a little bit funny but nevertheless it really exists and is worth of every moment we spent there. Tri-star Kekabeka Motel. Stayed overnight, 65 dollars per night.

(to be continued)  

As we now do not travel so far, I decided to publish my scribbles written on my lap (Lap Diary) of our trans Canada trip of 2005 by car, covered 8000 km, visited 24 cities, towns and villages.

July 21, 2005. 12-30 p.m. Put gas in our van 45 dollars (full tank). Janko as usual is having his coffee at any possible coffee shop (at least 10 times a day) and there we go. We’re on the road. What a wonderful driver Janko is!

July 21, 2005 Strathmore. Stopped by to buy a case of drinks. With them it’s easier to travel.

July 21, 2005. Medicine Hat. Walked around the mall. Stretched our legs. Put gas again. I am responsible for gas using my Master Card and participating in Sweepstakes Summer 2005 “Gas for Life”, hoping to win gas for the rest of our life travelling. I am mailing envelopes with purchase gas receipts by my “Master Card”.

July 21, 2005. Swift Current. Stayed overnight at the Hotel “Rainbow Inn” run by a Korean person.Paid 68 dollars per night.

July 22, 2005. In the morning we hit the road heading east of Saskachewan. Stopped at Bible College small town to walk around, to chit-chat with nice local people.

July 22, 2005. Regina-capital of Saskachewan. Stopped by the Parliament Building, touring inside the building, the guide Corey( French graduate of the Regina University) knows well the history of this region. In big reception hall there were hanging 6 portraits of royalties: Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Phillip, Queen Ann and her husband King George V. There stood also the original Confederation Table where for the first time  in Canada the Confederation meeting was held. The table was made of Canadian maple.

Just opposite the entrance of the Parliament building there was erected the statue of Queen Elizabeth II on her favourite horse by name Bessamie. In general, it was too much attention in Regina to the royal family: Royal Museum, streets named after Princes and Princesses. In my thinking, it’s an obsession. But Anne Frank’s thinking by her Diary ( published not long ago):” I enjoyed royal family trees”. What a teen!

July 22, 2005. We crossed the Saskachewan-Mannitoba borderline. Beautiful prairies’ landscapes changed for a new landscape, rolling hills and grassy fields with lots of old-fashioned grain-elevators which Janko adored much and slowly but surely I started to admire them too. Mannitoba is a county of new and old grain elevators, which is famous for producing wheat, rye, canola, flax etc. Along the Trans-Canada highway one can see the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) trucks loaded with this production. The length of CPR train can be of one and a half kilometre. ( to be continued)