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When we finally head east to Montreal, the Fiestas merge onto highway 401, which goes all the way to the Quebec border.
Day 13 is a big travel day on the World Tour.
It’s goodbye to the vineyards of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and off to Canada’s two biggest cities: first Toronto, and then on to Montreal. After an early morning photo shoot with the cars at the Peller Estates winery, we leave wine country begin the drive around the western shore of Lake Ontario to Toronto.
The waterfront is the best place to have a look at the city’s famous skyline, dominated by the CN Tower, so that’s where we’re headed. But we’re held up by clogged traffic on the city’s main lakefront arteries as crowds headed to the annual Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) slow things down to stop-and-go.
When we finally head east to Montreal, the Fiestas merge onto highway 401, which goes all the way to the Quebec border. At its widest point, in the west end of Toronto, the 401 is 18 lanes wide, divided into express lanes and collector lanes in both directions.
The 100-mile section of 401 between the east end of Toronto and the Canadian Armed Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario is officially designated the Highway of Heroes in honour of fallen Canadian soldiers.
The bodies of Canadian Forces soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan are flown to the military base in Trenton, and from there are driven on this route to the coroner’s office in Toronto. When one of these motorcade passes, it’s not unusual to see people gather on the overpasses to salute.
But the overpasses are clear today, and the only evidence of the nearby base are the road signs marked with poppies. Once we’re past Trenton, it’s another couple of hundred miles to Montreal, so it’s time to hit the cruise control, put on some classic Canadian driving tunes and enjoy the ride.
Fortunately, the route is dotted with Tim Hortons shops – the coffee and donut chain founded by a former National Hockey League player. But it’s best to know the local lingo: a large double-double and a chocolate dip is a large coffee, with two creams and two sugars, and a chocolate-frosted donut. It’s worth pulling over for.
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