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Discoveries

Maria dropped us at the Ontario Science Centre. Nadia and Tatiana accompanied us, apparently this is one of their favourite places. It's one of those places you need a car for and Maria did a detour delivering us there on her way to work.

Architect Raymond Moriyama was commissioned to design the centre to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday. This fabulous building, completed in 1969, is built into a hillside on the Don River Valley. There are plenty of lifts and escalators to take visitors to all levels and washroom and all facilities were excellent.

The centre is a cross between a pinball arcade and a museum; not a museum relying on display cases and labels to impart information but a museum where the hands-on experience creates a buzz of excitement as over 750 exhibits reveal their secrets. I could almost guess how scientists must feel when making new discoveries.

The latest developments in telecommunications and technology are presented in such a way as to make learning fun for young and old alike. Ron encountered the 500,000-volt Van de Graaff electrostatic generator. His hair stood on end as he placed his hand on the exhibit. I watched other visitors experimenting, while Ron raced ahead with Nadia and Tatiana. When I caught up with them Ron was sitting astride a bicycle. As he pedalled furiously tape decks and television cameras whirred into action powered by the energy generated by his legs.

Ten themed exhibit halls cover the advances of technology throughout the ages. In every hall there are things to touch, twist, push, poke, or pull. You can test your grip strength, balance, reflexes, or heart rate, walk through a tropical rain forest in the \"Living Earth\" exhibit, or even surf the Internet. We sent messages to Maria at work and to Sara back home in the UK. Laser technology, meteorology, biology, and any other 'ology' you care to mention are demonstrated in exciting and imaginative ways.

The Science Centre includes the Omnimax Theatre, the latest in cinema technology featuring a screen 24 metres high, digital sound, and reclining seats that place you at the heart of the action. We saw a film entitled \"Special Effects\". As its title indicates this film revealed the secrets of many effects commonly used in science fiction and other films. Visual and sound effects produce images that rush at your face. You feel as if you are a part of the film. It's impossible to describe the full effect: you'll have to see it for yourself.

The cafeteria was cheap and cheerful and everyone found something to their liking. After lunch we watched bees making honey, landed a spaceship on the moon, and elevated a balloon with our own pedal power.

Late in the afternoon, exhausted, we started our journey home. As we waited for the bus back to Eglinton Tatiana pleaded with me to let her ring Maria and ask her to meet us at the bus station.

\"Maria won't want to come out again after a day's work. It's snowing, the roads are bad.\" Ron pointed out.

\"This is nothing,\" said Nadia, \"it's usually much worse. She won't mind at all, she's always doing it.\"

Much worse I couldn't imagine. After waiting over 20 minutes for the bus, as my fingers and feet throbbed with cold and Nadia's ears turned blue, I relented and Nadia rang Maria. When the bus arrived we squeezed on along with what seemed like the entire population of Toronto. It was slow going, a thirty-minute ride back to Eglinton. We were all extremely grateful to Maria when we saw her waiting at the Warden subway pick-up point! It always makes me laugh. It's called the 'Kiss and Ride'. If you are carrying tedious passengers you might call it the 'Dump and Run'.

\"Come on, everyone, perk up, it's only six hours to New Year's,\" chimed Angelo, as we all collapsed in front of the television. In the hours leading up to midnight thousands of revellers assembled in Nathan Phillips Square in Downtown Toronto. Not for us, we slept soundly in front of the television, had a quiet cup of tea and crawled up stairs to bed.

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