The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Today, we went and visited BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. The Mandir is Canada's first traditional Hindu place of worship. It is built in Vedic tradition which dates back many millenia. More than 95,000 cu. ft. of hand-carved marble, limestone and sandstone have been assembled without steel in the foundation or structure. Stone structures built in such tradition are known to last for hundreds of years.
24000 pieces of stone were hand carved in India by 400 volunteers for a total of 1000000 hours. All of these pieces were shipped to Toronto and reassembled to form the existing building. It is an amazing place of worship to visit. The hand carvings are incredible to see. The temple is located just off Finch Ave. in Toronto and is free to visit. A museum inside is also worth a visit. It tells of advancements in the sciences and mathematics of India that most people would not be aware of.
Teak from Burma is used in some areas as decorative carvings. A sense of peace and tranquility seems to be within the temple walls. It is worth the trip to experience a touch of what Hinduism is all about.

St. Thomas

Last summer, we visited St. Thomas. It is known for having Ontario's longest small town train station. It is 12 metres wide and 120 metres long. It was constructed in 1873 when a railway line known as the Canada Southern Railway (CSR), in reality, an American owned shortcut between Buffalo and Michigan, selected St. Thomas as a major divisional yard and repair facility.
In 1885, one of North America's most notable train accidents occured, when the Barnum & Bailey circus elephant Jumbo was killed by a freight train. A statue in town recalls the accident.
The train station has now become North America Railway Hall of Fame. Nearby the repair building has now become the Elgin County Railway Museum.
Also in the city are several murals painted on the sides of buildings. A lot of the murals deal with trains as the subject matter.
Wheher a train enthusiast or not, it is worth a visit to the town. It is a small picturesque place to visit.