MONDAY JULY 21

The head office of the shipping company tells us that the boat carrying our three 2CVs will be eight days late, for reasons that we don't even listen to, being so bitter.  The Raid itself is leaving today, and we decide not to wait in Montreal for the eight days.  We rent a car, and with the addition of our friend Bertrand's DS, we manage to get 12 people into two cars for the first part of our journey, which will take us to Niagara Falls.

First, an observation: the wild reaction that a convoy of twenty four 2CVs gets on Canadian roads makes us realize that we are a long way from France. Most people here have never seen a 2CV, and many don't even know the name Citroën. Comment that we heard often, with a wonderful accent:  «Is it an antique car ?» «No, it's a french 2CV» «Oh yeah, I know them. It's a Renault, right? »

On our first night of camping, we discover some friends who will join us almost every night of our stay: Skitters!

In better English, these are thousands, no, millions of hungry mosquitos, hidden during the day in the 20 million lakes that dot the Canadian landscape.  Anything goes when it comes to protecting yourself: creams, sprays, thick clothes, etc.,  but nothing works!  According to the locals, these flying piranha are attracted by personal grooming products, scented soap, and so on.  We are starting to understand why, in the old days,  the trappers didn't wash every day!

Arriving in Toronto as night fell gave us an unforgettable spectacle : 10 highways, side by side  (40 lanes) filled with huge cars, moving like an immense steel-and-chrome wave.
Toronto is a city on a Canadian scale: american-style expanses, huge buildings reflecting in the waters of Lake Ontario, and above it all, dominating the skyline is the restaurant of the CN Tour, the highest free-standing structure in the world (573 metres).
And at the very top of this enormous concrete needle, is the only night club in the world where you can "shake your booty" in seventh heaven.

Not far from Toronto, we visit what may not be the most beautiful waterfall in the world. but surely is the most famous: Niagara Falls. When you have really been looking forward to something, sometimes you wonder if you shouldn't just stick to the dream.  In this case, there was no doubt: it's grand, colossal, indescribable, "it was worth the trip". Covering 400 to 600 km each day, we are slowly advancing through Ontario.  Even if we are getting steadily closer to the end of this province, we can't forget that we will soon have to turn around and retrace our steps to Montreal.  There, we will pick up our 2CVs, clear customs with them, and then try to catch up to the Raid, which is continuing on towards the west.