Ontario Place

It's been so many years since I visited Ontario Place, but I decided to check it out on the long weekend because I was given free tickets to the Cinesphere for the viewing of "Under the Sea'.  We brought the bikes out because the weather was just gorgeous.

The Ontario Place calendar is loaded with events and I really hope it takes off this year because it has sooo much to offer, especially for young families!

For starters, if you are an avid bicycler like me you are always on the lookout for new bike trails to discover - Ontario Place has just opened a new trail called 'Trillium Park, William G Davis' .  It has full boat access either by water or by land, and for those who choose to walk-in their transport - there are plenty of canoe lift-offs.




We loved the film at the Cinesphere and you know movies just don't look as good as they do here!  Every moment seems up-close and personal.  The chairs are relatively comfy but would have liked it if they laid back just a little.  A note for the cyclists though: we had trouble locating racks or proper bike security here yet.  I hope that changes since there are plenty of two-wheelers around.


I should mention that the Ontario Place's Trillium Park incorporates a lot of Indigenous culture.   There was a lot of consultation with First Nations that went into it.  The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation were involved in the consultation process, so I've heard.

It took around three years to build the park.  The trail, itself, used to be a parking lot.   All the trees, plants and shrubs total about 1,200 trees and 28,000 shrubs and perennials.  They're all indigenous.

The rocks and boulders that surround the park were transplanted from the Muskoka area.

Total cost was around $30-million, but the end result is a bicycle, dog, and jogger friendly,.

We saw lots of people splayed out on the grass during the late afternoon. The green space was less overrun than other similar spots in the city.  We stopped to have our lunch of egg salad sandwiches while overlooking the lake in two perfectly set Adirondack chairs.












I'll be back again and again and I certainly hope Ontarians will rediscover it too.

Toronto Christmas Market - Distillery District

The Toronto Christmas Market opens the month of December.  It's inspired by the Old World and influenced by the new. It celebrates the sounds, sights and scents of Christmas. Set in the Victorian-era, cobblestone-lined Distillery Historic District, the Christmas Market brings together local craftspeople, musicians and artisanal food-makers for a truly festive experience. 

Relax sipping on mulled wine and European-style Christmas cocktails as you browse through the selection of hand-made ornaments, wood carvings and crafts. Then cozy up by the fire or listen to carollers and brass bands and check out authentic European dancers. Don’t forget to stop by the giant Christmas tree for your kodak moment (I know I'm showing my age here!).

Free admission Tuesday to Friday; $6.00 admission Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. The Market is closed on Mondays.



The the Lowe's Christmas Market as it was christened is a great time for all ages, especially for the kids (which is what I think Christmas is really for anyways).  
You'll find on weekends, the crowds are over the top leaving little for wiggle room.  So if you can take some time off during the week, it may be easier to keep your eye on your kids. 
 
Every year the Market opens with the traditional Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the 22nd of November, there are Christmas carolers and dance performances, ferris wheel and a horse carousel and lots of lots of foodies. 










The kids will love activities like Santa’s House and the life-sized gingerbread house.   You will love the cold and warm brews in the beer gardens.  

A Christmas market, is known as Christkindlmarkt where it  originated in Germany and although they are held all over the world now, the basic feel to the market still remains in the Germanic theme with the street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the first four weeks of Advent. This also will explain why Santa Claus has the appearance of wearing long robes rather than a red suit as they are keeping his attire akin to the Germanic Christmas traditions.

It's definitely worth a visit, whether you make it a part of your annual Christmas family time or just a one time visit. 

Happy 150 Years to Canada

Without the risk of jumping on the familiar band wagon and screeching Happy Canada Day in a crowd full of happy and drunken Torontonians or wherever these people are from, we all celebrated the sesquicentennial incoming with the question, "what's with the duck?"

But I was there to photograph it along with so many others trying to get that perfect shot, feeling stupid.  I even witnessed some man from Hong Kong yelling at his girlfriend for moving because he was looking for that perfect night shot of her profile in front of a giant yellow duck.  I had to laugh. 

Never before have I ever felt so stupid for being part of a 'once in a lifetime' moment.

Next up! Fireworks from the CN tower.  Are we all that spoiled that we are not fascinated by fireworks anymore?  I never heard an ooooh  or an ahhhhhh  from the crowd while these beautiful flowers of light were coming from the sides of the CN restaurant.  I did my best to take the shots as they came, but I couldn't help but feel a little bored of the colours of red.  My personal favorite is blue, so perhaps the hues of blue would have brought some more activity from my camera.

The final show was from the docks of the Asbridges Bay, where I had to chuckle as we all, as a crowd felt compelled to move and shuffle to a different direction to view because we didn't know where the fireworks were coming from.  Here's the best of the lot! :)

Royal Ontario Museum

No trip to Toronto is ever complete without visiting the Royal Ontario Museum.  It is ingrained in our childhood memories; either from school trips or going there with our parents.  Over the years "the R.O.M" as it's known by locals, has taken on many changes mostly due to a transfer of management.  The great thing about local attractions is that they DO change by introducing different themes all year long.

You are able to see the same exhibits that made the ROM world renown including the ever- popular Dinosaur exhibits and the staged African savannas showcasing some serious talent in taxidermy.  They literally have everything there on every floor of every corner from ancient jewellery of precious stones and gems to exotic clothing of different parts of the world to ancient relics of weaponry including armour of steel, iron (too heavy to fight with) and tin oh and of course massive rooms of gargantuan dinosaurs!

You will remember the famous "king tut" display that held the interest of massive crowds from all over the world? For some people it was the first time they had ever come to Canada or ever heard of King tut.

We visited when the "Pompeii - In the shadow of the volcano" exhibit when it was spot-lighted.   Pompeii was an ancient Roman city which was buried under hot ash and rock by the sudden and violent eruption of Mount Versuvius.  
The archeological remains discovered the culture and every day life of the city and the people who lived there many years ago.

If you have an interest in discovering pieces of history you may have or have not heard about already, you can plan out a list of exhibits there now or will be in the future.

https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions

Annual Pride Toronto Parade

Every year Toronto's Yonge Street is all abuzz with "Pride Toronto Parade" usually the first Sunday in July 3.

The parade starts from College Street and runs south to Dundas Street before heading west.

There are record breaking crowds that expand more and more every year since it's inception.  It's definitely once in a lifetime (at least!) for the music, colours, vibrance and joy it's really something to be a part of.

Costumes are all hand-crafted and are tasteful, there's lots of tongue in cheek humour which the crowd loves.  It's good to see people embracing differences and it's really what makes Toronto a favourite among celebrities and a truly 'rockin' town.

We are multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-lingual, and Pride shows us that we also welcome multi-sexual, transgenders...whatever! We are all just people doing our own thing! It was loads of fun and the music was great!

There's been a lot of controversy over the years, from mayors heading to the cottage instead of attending, to Black Lives Matters making their political issues a part of the pride parade to the total ban of Police officers in the event.  Not sure what will happen this year! I say let's keep it the fun and accepting event it was meant to be.