Thursday, January 31, 2008

How do you feel about heights?

Toronto's CN Tower.
I've been there before, but it was a long time ago.
I've tried to go a couple of times since but as it was the summer the line ups were HUGE with an average waiting time of 2 hours.
It's January and there are no crowds.
The convention is right beside the tower and for $21 I sloped off to have another look.
The vertigo starts in the elevator.
The glass strip you see running up the side is the lift.
It zips up at 53 kilometers an hour, carrying you ears popping, clutching each other nervously, 1,122 feet.
To its tip its 1,815 ft and 5 inches.
Read more about the tower here.
As you can see the view is awesome.

It's not just about the view from the windows.
The observation deck has a glass floor........... Everyone starts very tenatively sticking to the cross beams ( as if a 2 inch alluminium strip is safer), and avoids standing on the glass.
Little by little, you inch your foot out until you're staring down ....a long way down.

Ahh its just frosted glass right?

Nope

Its kind of liberating to conquer your primordial fear and step fully onto the glass.

That's it for today folks.
Tomorrow Toronto is going to get wacked with 20 cms of snow.
Thats TWENTY centimeters!
The UK WOULD GRIND TO A HALT AND SHUT DOWN.
Thank god I fly home on Saturday.
Love to all
T

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahh i could feel the vertigo !! what an amazing tower didnt you fancy absailing down it :)he he , i have done but not that height, i felt giddy on the London Eye :) brave fella x penny

Unknown said...

i remember you laughing at me when we went there... Nice pics..

Anonymous said...

My son loves to jump up and down and roll around on that glass. I can step onto it and look down, but I will leave the jumping to him.

It would be a very different scene if you took photographs from the top today. It is a winter wonderland out there.

Terry said...

It's amazing how kids are completely unfazed by the glass floor.
As for winter wonderland.....its a mixture of freezing rain and snow now.
18 centimeters and counting- tehy're saying there may be as much as 30 centimeters when all is said and done.
Wind chill -9
The phrase "winter hell" comes to mind.
On a positive note tomorrow's forecast is clear and sunny so my flight prospects are good.
300 flights have been cancelled today so far.