Having spent all my life in the most desirable city of Vancouver, I had my preconceptions and reservations about visiting Toronto; that it was everything Vancouver is not. I pictured Toronto as a place with no oceans, no mountains, no trees and very little nature. Instead, I saw it as a concrete jungle of drab buildings and congested traffic on 12-lane superhighways with flyovers over flyovers. Hearing people complaining about the TTC, the 401, and the Gardiner Expressway and watching news footage of the scorching heat waves in the summer and the bone-chilling winters further influenced my opinion of the city of Toronto as an uninhabitable place to be in. But then there’s Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City to explore, too.
I love Canada as a nation, as it’s diverse geographically, politically, and culturally. During my time spent living overseas in Beijing, I came to a shocking realisation that I really hadn’t seen much of my own backyard. I, like most people I’ve met, had always looked beyond our own boarders when travelling to new destinations. To date, Edmonton is the only Canadian city I’ve been too outside of British Columbia. It was now time for me to explore what is within the borders of this great nation of mine. It’s best to keep an open mind, and so with that...
June 25th:
We took West Jet to Pearson International and met up with my friends Imelda and Sameer who kindly picked us up from the airport. We popped into a Thai restaurant on Church Street for dinner before meeting up with Joey, our CS host for the duration of our stay in T.O. He took us out to Woody’s to catch a drag show and for some drinks which was just what we needed to break into the nightlife.
June 26th:
Joey took us to Kensington Market where he had an art studio and gallery. It was also a car-free day so peds were free to roam around and discover this vibrant area of great eats, cool beats and fab art. I especially loved the grafitti and murals on the walls! It’s comparable to Vancouver’s Commercial Drive. We met up with Mel and Sameer in front of a street performer juggling fire and shortly after, we were on the TTC streetcar heading for the Toronto Island Airport. I was so fascinated by the old streetcar making a tight curve as it screeched oh so piercingly. It just seemed so ghetto but adorable at the same time.
Sameer is taking flying lessons at a flight school located on the island, so Mel, Jan and I just explored and took pictures while Sameer was up in the air. That’s when I discovered Porter Airlines with a cute racoon as its mascot in all of its billboard ads throughout out the terminal. After taking the silly 5-minute ferry back to the mainland, we strolled through the Toronto Music Garden and along Harbourfront Centre, scoring a bottle of Stella from a back of a Mini Cooper along the way.
The Distillery District has a special place in my heart. It’s history with its red brick buildings and cobblestone streets are well preserved and I fell in love with the character of the area. I just couldn’t put down my camera either as it was so photogenic. Naturally, we had to dine at the Mill Street Brewpub which didn’t disappoint.
After dinner, Mel and Sameer had us over to their nice apartment over looking Union station, the CN Tower, the CBC Broadcast Centre and Rogers Centre. Stunning views from the heart of the city. Jan and I took a nice stroll at night to capture Toronto in her sleep before retiring ourselves.
June 27th:
We made a bus trek out to see the Niagara Falls today and it was warm and beautiful out. Thinking about Harry and William with Princess Diana on the Maid of the Mist and living vicariously through others about their trip to the falls had made me wanting to see and experience this on my own. And now, I have. Donning on that poncho and getting wet through the mist was exhilarating!
Jan and I went up the CN Tower in the evening where I took many great shots of the city and the Island Airport.
June 28th:
On our way to Casa Loma, we were caught in a freak downpour. A beautiful day suddenly turned nasty in a matter of minutes and the heavens were water bombing us. We quickly took shelter at Second Cup and took this opportunity to have lunch.
Visiting Casa Loma was an amazing experience. I love history and walking though a piece of it was hours of fun. Taking a map Joey gave us for a graffiti walk earlier in the day, we slowly walked back to Kensington Market from Casa Loma. From Dupont Street to Bloor Street and then to Harbord Street to College Street, we saw some really great murals and graffiti on the walls.
Joey and nine other photographers were launching an exhibit called 10x10 Photography Project and had invited us to attend the launch of it at his gallery. My eyes were subjected to more visual stimulation. Amazing stuff. We went to a place called Sneaky Dee’s where I had some Greek salad and an Amsterdam Blond, then moved on to the Cloak Dagger for more drinks. I went for something local that I haven’t tried from Great Lakes Brewery; a premium lager called Golden Horseshoe. Mel and Sameer joined the rest of us again and I can’t recall what happened to the rest of the night.
June 29th:
Sameer and Mel came around to pick Jan and I up from Joey’s early this morning to head to Scarborough Bluffs because I wanted to see these natural formations carved out by glaciers centuries ago.
Visiting Fort York was next on the to-do list. No visit to Toronto would be complete without seeing the birthplace of the city and imagining what it must have been like during the Battle of York in 1813. It took a bit more imagination though as it was hard to see where the Americans came to invade with all the new condo towers and other development springing up blocking the view of Lake Ontario.
We also did the brewery tour at Steam Whistle Brewery located at the base of the CN Tower.
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) had an exhibit on Henry Moore, the artist and sculptor of The Archer located at Toronto City Hall Nathan Phillips Square. Of course, I didn’t know any of this until I visited the AGO! There was also a Brian Jungen exhibit, a Vancouver based artist I came to know of when the Vancouver Art Gallery had an exhibition of his works several years ago. This time though, his works weren’t Air Jordans cut and re-arranged into looking like first nations ceremonial masks, but rather from car parts and deep freezers. His found art always strikes a chord with me.
June 30th:
Saying our goodbyes to old and new friends in Toronto, we set off to Ottawa via VIA Rail and met up with Jean-Pierre, our CS host in the nation’s capital. He also brought along another CSer, Caroline, to the VIA Rail station and we bonded quickly. After dropping off our things at JP’s, we were off again to discover everything Ottawa had to offer and went straight to the National Art Gallery to start. One of the first things I noticed about Ottawa was the fact that most everything was offered in both our official languages. OC Tranpo, the public transit in Canada’s capital, had “Stop Requested” on the bus with “Demandez d’arrêt” beneath it. “How cool!” I thought to myself and then wondered why the rest of Canada wasn’t as bilingual. If we were, then there wouldn’t be such a divide from the Anglophones and the Francophones.
We had pizza at a place called The Grand and then headed for the Beavertail stand directly across for this Canadian treat. I was so stuffed with pizza so I declined for the night. Unfortunately, I never made it back to the stand and missed out on it completely.
July 1st:
It’s Canada Day! Canada turns 144 years young and to mark the occasion, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, joins Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other dignitaries on their first official trip to Canada in front of the thrones of patriots and royalists. The hill was crowded with people waving flags and people with maple leafs painted on their faces and an overwhelming sense of pride for this country swept me up. The world needs more Canada.
In the blistering heat of the summer, we trekked our way to the historic Laurier House, the place of residence of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and, after his death, to the Rt. Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s two most notable Prime Ministers. A long walk to the War Museum followed but we didn’t have nearly enough time to see the exhibitions. Every gallery and museum was free admission today so we were zipping off from one place to the next.
Canada Day festivities continued throughout the day and into the night with a fireworks display.
July 2nd:
We toured the Parliament buildings en Français and looked at the many monuments on the hill commemorating the past Prime Ministers of Canada and what they brought to our nation such as Diefenbaker and the Bill of Rights. The library of parliament was stunning to see in person, both inside and out. Opened in 1876, it is the only surviving part of the original parliament building which burned down in 1916. A peak inside the legislative assembly and the many paintings hanging on the walls in the corridors of the Parliament was exciting. Scenes I’ve only seen on TV, right here, right now.
And then there’s the Rideau Canal; Canada’s longest ice-skating “rink” when it freezes over in the winter months. I watched in curious amazement as a small boat made it’s way up the canal, step-by-step as it filled up each chamber with water. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life!
Upon Lehli’s recommendation, Jan and I took JP to the Lac Lamey Casino Buffet for dinner which was just across the bridge in Hull, Quebec. From smoked salmon and prawns to the salad bar and the sliced fruits, the food was good and endless. We were absolutely stuffed by the end of it.
July 3rd:
Back on the VIA Rail, we were off to see Montreal. As the train pulled into the station, I had second thoughts about this city as we were meandering through some ghetto-like area surrounded by dilapidated buildings, smashed windows, and graffiti on its walls. It was the dump! Fortunately, that was just the station area. We hopped onto the Montreal subway at Bonaventure and took it up to Jean-Talon station where I had arranged to meet up with Carl, our CS host in Montréal. He put us up in a room which was bright and clean and introduced us to his swing dancing friends at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. This was when I noticed that the Jazz Festival runs across the country at the same time! The jazz festival was just starting in Vancouver when we departed, and the jazz festival was on in Toronto at the time we were at the Distillery District in Toronto, and now here in Montréal!
We met up with Antoine and Dave in Montréal, the two other CSers who were all being hosted by JP at the same time over Canada Day celebrations. We went to see the Tam Tams at Mont Royal Park, a Sunday tradition which always draws a crowd I was told.
July 4th:
Jan and I trekked up Mont Royal again, this time to see the cross up close. Sadly, there was fencing all around the giant cross when we arrived, discouraging anyone to touch or climb on the structure. The view from the Kondiaronk Belvedere on the mountain top was more beautiful than it was yesterday as the grey skies were no where to be found. The birds-eye view of downtown Montreal with the leafy greens of the forest to frame the lower half of the frame created a striking juxtaposition for the minds eye.
I instantly took a liking to the romanticism of Le Vieux Port with its old colonial buildings, cobblestone roads, and the horse and buggy rides which Montréal Tourism is playing up. Jan and I took a pause here for lunch at a quaint eatery before spilling out to the streets again and stumbling upon the Notre-Dame Basilica. This historical Baroque structure stood prominently and proudly on the street which takes after its name and the inside was even more striking in its grandeur. It’s ornate attention to detail was breathtakingly beautiful that I couldn’t put my camera down.
Continuing our tour on foot of this magnificent part of the city, we walked along the harbour front to the clock tower. We were able to walk up to the top of the structure to have a look at the inner workings of the clock. Looking out from across the St. Laurent River, my eyes made contact to a collection of boxed residential units, precariously stacked on top of one another: Habitat 67. Finally, after all these years of only reading about it in books, magazines, and on the interweb, Moshie Safdie’s defining work of art before my eyes! The old grain silos of Pointe du Moulin was also of interest.
July 5th:
Ventured out to Parc Olympique today and took the funicular to the top of the Montréal Tower where there’s an observation deck. I absolutely love the architecture of this 70s futuristic looking stadium; it looks like a spaceship had just landed. It’s unfortunate that building this stadium proved to be a financial disaster for the city, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars by the time it opened in time for the Olympic games in 1976. By the time it was finally complete with a retractable roof and tower, the price tag for this “Big-O” cost just over a billion.
We met up with Antoine again at the Pie-IX subway station where there was also a BIXI station and took our bikes to the Formula 1 racetrack on Île Notre-Dame, which was the former site of the Montréal Expo in 1967. After cycling around with a BIXI bike with other cyclists on the track, we went to explore the expo grounds some more. What instantly caught my eye was Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome which was formerly the American pavilion.
At the end of the day, all this cycling from one BIXI station to another (to exchange bikes every 30 minutes to avoid usage additional fees) got us all hungry and thirsty. We went to La Banquise for a T-Rex poutine and eventually ended up at Bar St. Sulpice on Rue Saint-Denis. This place had a huge terrace in the back and was crowded with people. We were lucky to find a table without waiting too long. As customary to every city I visit, I went straight for the local brewery on tap and tried the Boréale Red and Blonde.
July 6th:
Jan flew back to Vancouver today only to set off on a new trip to Seattle and to San Francisco. After seeing him off at the Trudeau Airport on a wet but humid day, I hopped back on the bus and headed back downtown. Not knowing exactly where I was, I got off the bus and went for a walk around town where I happened to stumble upon the Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World. The rain started to light up and I continued my semi-aimless walk to McGill University. I eventually found myself at the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art just outside the aptly named Station Place-des-Arts on the Metro. Speaking of art, discovering the many public art by renowned Canadian artists at stations along the Montréal Metro was fascinating. Furthermore, learning about the heritage of the metro system with the train cars running on rubber tyres with its brake blocks made of yellow birch amused me to no end. The wiki page on the Montréal Metro has a lot more information including how the brake blocks are injected with peanut oil to bring the train to a complete stop.
As this was my last night in the city of Montréal, I had invited Antoine and Carl for dinner at the Trattoria Piatto Pieno restaurant in the heart of the Little Italy district. The food was excellent.
July 7th:
Soon after dropping off my bag at Vincent’s place, my CS host for the Quebec City leg of the trip, he introduced me to his beautiful neighbourhood and to some friends of his playing the didgeridoo on the Plains of Abraham. Others were practicing their African gumboot dance in a pavilion in the park.
Later in the evening upon Vincent’s recommendation, I ventured out to an area just a few blocks down where the Cirque du Soleil were giving a free performance for locals. As this was my first experience to a Cirque show, I felt fortunate to finally catch them in action. This free annual event spread over a few nights drew in a respectable crowd as anyone could imagine with lights, music, and choreography to make the magic happen. This was an outdoor event in a space between two active overpasses.
July 8th:
I set off this morning on a walkabout an take in the sights and sounds of Quebec City. The cobblestone streets are all named after notable saints and just full of colour and history. The main thoroughfare so rich in character with historical buildings, merchants and activities emanated a positive sense of vibrancy and culture. With the Festival d’été de Québec about to kickstart, the city was buzzing with visitors from all over, especially with news that Elton John will be performing this year.
Wandering through the historic Château Frontenac and out onto the Dufferin Terrace, I made my way to La Citadelle de Québec where I had taken several tours to learn of its history. Just being here and thinking of the battle between Wolfe and Montcalm that took place here on the Plains of Abraham centuries ago that defined Canada was truly awesome. Three of the four Martello Towers built to defend Quebec City still stands to this day, two of which are on the Plains of Abraham, and one hidden away in a neighbourhood just north of the Plains.
Moving on, I took some time to visit Québec’s Parliament Building and the Fontaine du Tourny just outside of it. I then took in the festive scene along La Grande Allée and met up with Vincent at a later point to take part in some music and dance to end the night.
July 9th:
I set off on another neighbourhood walk today, this time to find the forth Martello Tower. There’s something to be said about stumbling upon something so historical in the middle of a residential area. I was happy to have found it. I then visited the National Museum of Fine Arts and spent some time on a park bench at the National Battlefields Commission. It was a scorching hot day and the sun was relentless so I took a trail in the shade parallel to Avenue Ontario to visit Saint Matthew’s Cemetary, the oldest remaining cemetery in the city and now turned into a park. I found peace here as I usually do when visiting cemeteries, but with the historical context in mind with old tombstones everywhere, even more profound. Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church on the same property is now a public library, a very interesting conversion in my mind.
No visit to Québec is complete without a trip down the picturesque Quartier Petit Champlain. It was crowded with people up and down the narrow pathway but the cute boutique stores that lined it was charming. There’s a funicular that takes up to the Dufferin Terrace for those who don’t want to take the stairs.
I bought tickets for Vincent and I to attend a concert by Stephen Marley and others at the Festival d’été de Québec then hung out with his friends outside the gates just hanging about along the walls of the fortress. Like the night before, music and dance filled the night out with happiness to share in the company of others. Oh, what a night!
July 10th:
Last night was a fantastic finish to a spectacular trip. Drinking bottles of La Fin Du Monde with Vincent on the balcony and looking out to the nightscape of Québec City was like getting high. With my bags in hand waiting for the cab outside in the wee hours of the morning, I took three photos which captured the mood exactly with daybreak just on the horizon.
Three cheers to another day in paradise.
