Leaving Canda: Two different goodbyes.

It was not easy to leave my partner (Bat Zug) behind. I came to Toronto, and Canada for that matter, just to be with her. So leaving was not easy. Once I left, I cycled on the north shores of Lake Ontario for three days on my way to New York state.

I spent the first night in Oshawa in a run down motel, I think the only one there. The town did not have a happy feel to it either. I guess it was a reflection of my feelings.

But then came the next day! It was an uneventful. I did not meet anyone along the way and the scenery was no different than that of the previous day, so I was focused on cycling.

It was getting cool and I started looking for a place to stay at. I saw a b&b sign which I started to follow. After a few hundred meters, in the town of Coburg I saw a large sign 'Bed and Breakfast'. The owner asked for 120 Canadian dollars. The place was messy. Not what I wanted at all. So, I continue; perhaps I will find another place. But as I cycle on, I see the same b&b sign again which gives me new hope. I get to the town of Grafton. There is a Guest House but it is full. I have been following this sign for 15 kilometers so far, so a few more, I figure, wont hurt. I keep on riding, the sign appears again and restores my hope for a warm bed. Suddenly, the sign points to the right towards the lake, the road winds and in my mind I am hoping that the b&b still exists and if it does, will there be a vacancy. 25 kilometers.

I knocked on the door. A couple, Lawrence, in his 80's, and Frances who own the place, invited me in. They have two parts for visitors in the huge villa. One, a fancy b&b in the basement, and the second part, a shared room, designed for groups such as cyclists, with 7 beds, a shower and toilet. I'm the only occupant in that section.
First question they asked was if I had anything to eat. So they took out two hamburgers, which we prepared on the grill and I had a nice beer to go along with the butgers. As I waited for the burgers to cook, the guests from the b&b section Andei and Gigi, French Canadians from Montreal, join us on the lawn with a bottle of wine. Nice red wine. The next morning, I met Gigi's mother who speaks very little English, so I had a chance to practice my French.
It felt as this is my formal farewell breakfast.

The next day, I found myself on the Loyalist Parkway. The history and the feel I got, was that some people would still be happy to have a closer link to the United Kingdom.

Then, I took a couple of ferries and it was "goodbye Canada".