We are in Toronto, city on a lake, city of gleaming buildings, city of multi-national immigrants. We have driven out of peace and quiet and a white population, into a rainbow of humanity and a cacophony of sound, numerous dialects and varied cuisines. While I always prefer country life, it’s good to feel the exuberance of a city on occasion, get charged and, on a trip, get pampered.
Arriving at a city hotel is not like arriving at a motel or b and b. A doorman 
awaits, along with a valet to park your car. All thoughts of schlepping your bags—as we did yesterday, up a flight of steps to a second story motel room—vanish as a cart is wheeled out and our bags collected. The slight kafuffle at check-in because our room was not ready was soon forgotten with an apologetic offer of free breakfasts for our stay.
And then there’s the magical opening of the door to the room, discovering an expanse of space in which all our luggage gets dispersed and we collapse after the day’s drive. While some of the accouterments are generic—the coffee machine, the robes, the safe—I spot some new ones like spray starch for ironing. The bathroom has all the old toiletries of yore, now often reduced as hotels follow airlines in the nickel and dime business. But this, in our sixth week of travel, is heaven.
I wonder if there’ll be chocolates when we get back from dinner.
Andrea Downing 
What a great gift to give yourself, a stay at a beautiful hotel. I’m so happy you’ve made it this far and have been sharing your adventures with us. Here’s to a wonderful remainder of the trip. Doris
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And thank you for coming along with us, Doris. We’ve got 3 more stops and 9 more nights to go. As I said to Cristal, that’s a whole vacation for most people.
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Loved reading this post, Andi. Hope you and Cristal have pleasant dreams…
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Best night sleep, Alice–so quiet being high up and in a large room, it’s a dream after our room in Tobermory which was on a walkway–like sleeping in the middle of a park or something.
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How would we know what pampering was unless we’d seen the seamier side of lodging? Though I’ve never encountered bedbugs, in my earlier days, when money was tight, I made certain to check the sheets to see if they were clean. Sigh! I love luxury when I travel…because of the stresses involved. Enjoy the pampering…you deserve it!
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We obviously think alike, Rolynn. I’m always telling Cristal, who travels extensively in South America and elsewhere on a budget, to check for bed bugs. In the southwest we also check for snakes in the room if they’re at low level, having seen ‘neighbors’ have problems. No rattlers in Toronto, however 😉 And you’re right about luxury relieving the stress. Cristal’s first words on seeing the room were, ‘are you sure we can only stay here two nights?’
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In my years as a road warrior, Toronto was one of my favorite cities. I spent quite a bit of time there and loved every minute of it. Enjoy!
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I always knew you were a trailblazer Paul. It is indeed a lovely city and worth returning to.
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