Time in Niagara has been one of the highlights of our trip and I was sorry to be leaving this morning when we headed back to Toronto to show off this beautiful city to Christine. We had avoided many attractions during our first week in Toronto to save them for Christine.
The journey to Toronto included a detour in Hamilton to the Canadian War Plane Museum situated at the International Hamilton airport. This is a flying museum so many of the old planes on display are still flying. These include Tigermoths which my dad used to fly, Seamen, Firefly and their flagship the Lancaster Bomber. There are only 2 left in the world that still flies and you can take a flight in the one we toured for about $2000. This museum is so full of passion that it is tangible. Retired pilots and flight engineers maintain and fly these beautiful birds of history and also volunteer as tour guides. They are full of interesting stories and love of the planes that it’s contagious. Even Christine loved the stories behind the names of some of the planes and there are some real heroes and Victorian Cross recipients amongst the fleet.
There is also a modeling club resident at the museum that works on displays, bodywork of the planes and undertakes any other modeling work required. There is currently a 2 year project underway involving a large team of engineers and craftsmen to get an old jet fighter bomber restored and flying again. They are so proud of their museum and it’s accomplishments. You can become a member of the museum and receive free flights for volunteer work and assistance with the couple of air shows that they host every year.
Arriving in Toronto we had to navigate a 2 hour traffic jam to get to our hotel. Yes, even on holiday, we have had our share of traffic congestion! We do sympathize with the working class as some of our friends back home refer to themselves as.
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