Living in Toronto, Canada

I live in Toronto, Canada, which is the capital city of the province of Ontario (but not the capital of Canada!). Toronto is the biggest city in Canada, with a population that's close to 3 million. The name Toronto is said to come from the Mohawk word tkaronto, which refers to an area "where there are trees standing in the water."

One of my favourite things about Toronto is that even though it's a big city and even though I live downtown, there are still plenty of green spaces where I can enjoy nature and even see wildlife sometimes. This is Wellesley Park, where I often take a walk, in the fall.

Although High Park is the biggest and most well-known park in Toronto, there are many smaller parks, like Wellesley Park, that are also nice. Near Wellesley Park is another, larger park called Riverdale Park where you can visit Riverdale Farm (for free) and hang out with some farm animals (in the middle of downtown Toronto!). High Park also has a small zoo (and plenty of friendly wild squirrels and chipmunks), so it's also a nice place to see animals. I've even seen beavers and turtles at the Evergreen Brick Works, a former quarry which has been converted into a park. Speaking of animals, if you're lucky, you may find some raccoons wandering the quiet side streets or looking down at you from a tree when you're walking around Toronto!

These mischievous little creatures are good at opening garbage cans and making a big mess! They're also very cute, but don't try to get too close. Most of them don't mind humans too much, but they may bite if you try to touch them.

There are also plenty of gardens and greenhouses, such as the Allan Gardens Conservatory. I especially like the cactus garden inside and the turtle pond, as well!

There is also a place called the Black Creek Pioneer Village, where you can see how Canadians lived and worked many years ago. Historic buildings have been collected in this area to construct a replica of a Canadian pioneer village, with a mill, blacksmith, church, doctor's office, inn, farm, and more!

It also has a very unique subway station, so you'll never miss it! Unfortunately, I've reached the maximum number of photos for this post, so I can't share it here, but if you have any questions or would like to know more about Toronto or Canada, feel free to send me a message or book my Welcome to Canada lesson!