Leaving London, our first stop was one of the many helpful tourist information offices, identified by the huge white question mark on a blue sign. We were helped by a super-friendly young woman who, in addition to giving us a welcome “unity pin” showing the Canadian and US flags together, provided us with Ontario information, and also conveyed some of the high points of the local Brantford history. The most notable was the stilts used by Doug Hunt, a local resident, to set two world records for the most independent steps (29) taken on the tallest (50 ft, 9 in) and heaviest (137 pounds) stilts unaided by any safety lines. The picture below is hard to understand until you find the boots in the right side of the picture.  The stilts are hanging from the ceiling over the entrance corridor to the visitor center, and were constructed from sailboat masts. I was duly impressed.

Our maps took us into Toronto, which is the largest city in Canada. With over 6 million people, it definitely had a New York City feeling to it, except that the huge skyscrapers were all quite new, so it reminded me also of cities like Dallas and Atlanta. It’s dominated by the CN Tower which, at 180 stories, is the tallest free-standing structure in North America. You can be “beamed up” in 58 seconds to the viewing deck in a glass elevator. We appreciated it from a distance.