Perhaps rather appropriately for the month leading up to Christmas, my life seems to have been taken up by cooking, shopping and doing things for kids. I have to say though that I have really been rather more of an observer than a participant.
Firstly, although I have had a bit of a baking spree, I really haven't been conjuring up amazing concoctions in the kitchen. I have, however, had a couple of encounters with British 'celebrity' chefs who have been in Toronto promoting their latest recipe books. Gordon Ramsay was my first encounter and, contrary to my expectations, was surprisingly charming. I blushed when he kissed me and enjoyed our brief flirtation in the cooking section of the local bookstore.
My next encounter was with someone who is certainly not a fan of Mr Ramsay's TV persona, Jamie Oliver. Jamie presented a live 'show' involving a Q 'n' A session plus a bit of cooking. He made recipes from his American cookbook including a cerviche recipe and taught us that it was important to take a piece of rosemary, rub it in the juices in the pan and "spank" our steak!
In between my dalliances with the culinary world, I was sent on a very important mission by my friend Jon. Jon's niece has been set a task of seeing where in the world her hand-crafted puppet, Flower the Owl, can fly to during the school year. Having already flown business class to Dubai, her next stop was Toronto and she stayed with me for a few days before flying to the top of the CN Tower and back down again. She has now winged her way to the Canadian east coast. It was a pleasure having her to stay en route though.
Toronto is feeling rather festive with trees, lights and Christmas stalls abound. The one thing that has been in short supply compared to the UK has been snow. I'm starting to wonder if the snow and I did a house swap when I moved here a year ago! We've had the odd coating but nothing like that seen in Europe. I may be speaking too soon but my new snow boots are still looking pristine.
I'm looking forward to the forthcoming festive season as I will get just over two weeks off work. I've not had more than four days off in a row this year (get the violins out!) so am very excited about having a complete break. I'm also looking forward to meeting up with my parents in Miami for a couple of days before we join a cruise ship to tour the Caribbean islands. We're just hoping for good weather and look forward to spending Christmas in the sun.
Whatever you and yours may be up to this year, I wish you all the very best and, as the Canadians say, hope you have 'Happy Holidays!' I just thought I'd share this flash mob event that took place recently here at a Canadian shopping mall given its festive theme:
Have a great Christmas and New Year everybody! Hope to catch up with you in 2011!
This month certainly seems to have been a very busy one indeed. It started off with a University of Leeds Alumni reception where I enjoyed canapes, Prosecco and reminiscing in the company of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Michael Arthur. Sadly, I have since heard that one of my former colleagues, Susan Clayton, died unexpectedly this month. I dedicate this blog to her memory as she was always asking me about my latest travels and (mis-)adventures. She was a wonderful lady and will be missed greatly by both her colleagues and family.
Nuit Blanche At the beginning of October, my friend Zahra and I hit the streets of Toronto for a night of art. Nuit Blanche began at 6:57pm and ran through until sunrise. Being a light-weight, I only made it until around 2:00am. At various points around the city, art installations were staged and most allowed the public to interact with them. My highlights this year were the 29 voices singing in 29 different languages but all at the same time in XXIX. I also enjoyed visiting Toronto's secret subway station, not used officially these days but sometimes used as a film set. Here, there were some fibre-optic 'flowers' that seemed to light up and jiggle according to the amount of noise the audience made. I also thought Auto Lamp and Endgame were both interesting pieces. The city was buzzing and, despite long lines to see some of the pieces, it was great to see so many people appreciating the artworks.
Autumn, or Fall as it is known in Canada, is now here. There have even been reports of snow flurries in Toronto. Along with my friend, Janet, I decided to experience the fall colours in all their glory over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. We hired a car and headed about three hours north of the city to the edge of the Algonquin Provincial Park. We spent four days exploring this stunning area on foot and by canoe along with a few other intrepid voyageurs. Unfortunately, we didn't see any moose, bears or wolves but we did see evidence of them on our hikes. The log cabin we stayed in was gorgeous and we were fed extremely well during our stay. I particularly enjoyed our sunrise paddle and campfire breakfast but the night-time fireworks and star-gazing came a close second in terms of my favourite activities. Sitting on the dock watching the sunset was also a delight.
Having hardly been at home, it was time for yet another overseas business trip. This time to Thailand and Vietnam. I managed to tag a few days of vacation on to this trip and had a super time exploring the ruins of Angkhor Wat in Cambodia with my friend Peter. The temperature and humidity were very high but we had a great time exploring the various temples spread across the ancient Khmer lands. We also visited Tonle Sap lake and saw a floating village complete with floating churches, schools, basketball courts and pig pens. As the water levels shift, so does the village. This year, the rains have been heavy and the water levels were very high. We saw a great deal of flooding on our overland journey from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to Bangkok, via Cambodia.
I had some meetings in Bangkok but managed to squeeze in some fun at the night-market, where I experienced a fish pedicure. Possibly the best, yet strangest, pedicure I've ever had. I placed my feet and legs in an aquarium full of tiny Garufa fish who for twenty minutes feasted on my dry skin. The result was silky smooth skin and, despite my fears, the experience was pain-free. It actually feels like tiny electric shocks and I was quite relived it wasn't too ticklish. However, I was quite panicked as I withdrew my feet from the aquarium only to find one little fishy still munching on my toe. As he realized he was no longer in his usual watery environment, he took a leap and landed on the floor between the floorboards. Fortunately, the owner of the 'fish salon' managed to rescue the little fishy who was safely returned to his fold and a fishy death due to my vanity was averted!
I was in Vietnam for a full week of education events hosted by the Canadian Embassy and enjoyed seeing snippets of Hanoi and Saigon again between various exhibitions, school visits, receptions and agent meetings. Hanoi was celebrating is 1000th birthday so was decked out with lanterns and looked very pretty. I managed a quick side-trip to the Mekhong Delta and spent the day observing the river people's way of life. We enjoyed a short cycle-ride around the villages and saw people fishing, producing honey, growing fruit and manufacturing coconut candy among other things.
I'm now back in Toronto and happy to be home. It's been a busy month but thoroughly enjoyable!
This month I've been on the road, partly the Silk Road, for work. I visited Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan on my travels, which provided a welcome change from being in the office.
It's been over 20 years since my love affair with, and in, Russia first began. This was my fourth visit and I was still as awe-struck by the world's largest country as ever. Arriving in Moscow was fairly smooth and I managed to navigate the underground system, with my basic Russian reading skills, to reach my hotel. Moscow has the most amazing subway which exudes grandeur, artistic splendor and a host of chandeliers at almost every station. Some of the stations are simply stunning with mosaics, statues and carved pillars leading the way through the warren of tunnels.
I was in Moscow to attend an educational exhibition and have various business meetings. Around these, however, I managed to squeeze in a few hours of sightseeing. I hopped on the subway out to the Vernisazh Market on the edge of the city. Despite its theme park appearance, the sprawling market, with hidden levels, hosts hundreds of art, handicraft, antique and souvenir stalls. I spent a good few hours eyeing up soviet posters, Uzbek pottery, fake DVDs, fur hats, military regalia and matroyska dolls of every kind including one of the entire Obama family, complete with Bo the Portuguese water dog! Red Square also had to be paid homage to and although there was quite a lot of scaffolding, I said a cheery "Dras Vieche" to Lenin, snapped St Basil's and window-shopped in Gum, which is rather more upmarket than when I saw only cabbages and corsets on sale in the fairly empty shops in 1987. Moscow is now a city of consumer excess...I bet Lenin is turning in his wax!
Later in the week, I also flew up to St Petersburg for a whirlwind trip. I didn't get much chance to see beyond the hotel walls but squeezed in a quick walk down Nevsky Prospekt to the newly-restored Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood.
The middle part of my trip was spent in Istanbul, a city I lived in during the very late 90s. It, too, is developing rapidly and the new metro system has improved the traffic enormously but I was really impressed by all the renovation of its spectacular architecture, including the multi-million dollar refurbishment of the beautiful Pera Palace Hotel. Istanbul is the 2010 European Capital of Culture and was heaving with tourists enjoying the mid-September sunshine. I had a lot of meetings here but on my way to and from them caught glimpses of the city at its very best. I particularly enjoyed sampling the food. Turkish food, in my opinion, is one of the best cuisines in the world. I loved the pide (Turkish pizza), manti (Turkish ravioli in yoghurt), baklava, gozleme (Turkish stuffed pancakes), kebabs and dondurma (chewy ice cream). The ice cream sellers are hilarious with their amazing ice cream cone tricks to make both adults and children alike smile. I love travelling by ferry in Istanbul and it's truly one of the lovliest cities to look at from the water. My hotel, the Tunel Residence, was located in Beyoglu and had its own Turkish Hamam so I came away from the city both refreshed and clean!
The final part of my trip involved a visit to a new country for me: Kazakhstan. For those of you, like me, who may be scratching your head wondering where exactly this particular 'stan is, it's north of India and borders with China. I had no idea quite what to expect from Kazakhstan and visited two cities during my time there.
I landed in Almaty, at the base of the Tien Shan mountain range. It's a very green city with lots of trees and is famous for its apples along with being the economic centre of Kazakhstan. Behind the trees, however, Almaty feels very much like a decaying Soviet-style city and is in stark contrast to the other city I visited.
Astana is the new capital. I don't think I've ever visited such a weird city in my life. It's a city that appears to have simply landed in the middle of nowhere. It kind of did actually as the president simply decreed the capital be moved from Almaty to Astana about ten years ago. The best way to describe the place is to imagine those childrens' playmats that have roads and buildings drawn on so that children can drive toy cars on them. Then, think of architects on acid having free reign to create Lego constructions in strange futuristic shapes and plonk them on top. Voila! You have Astana. I can't say I warmed to the place but was very intrigued by the fact that everywhere in Kazakhstan seemed to be run by women. Where were all the men? My only guess, other than they'd been eaten by the women, was that they were in the west of the country working on the oil fields or behind the walls of all the giant government buildings.
I met some lovely people on my trip and was really delighted to meet up with a former Leeds colleague and good friend, Joanne, in Astana. Our paths crossed one evening and we had an enjoyable dinner together at a Georgian restaurant. I resisted the horsemeat platter but thoroughly enjoyed the chance to catch up.
It was with some relief that I finally left Kazakhstan as I had a bit of a nightmare at the airport and it was touch and go for about 30 minutes as to whether they were going to hold me in the country. Fortunately, I managed to persuade the Kazakh authorities that the fact I am British but live in Canada with a passport full of stamps does not make me a spy and that I really shouldn't be banished to the Siberian wastelands as so many before me.
Overall, it was an interesting and productive trip but seeing the CN Tower flashing from my window again is a lovely, familiar sight!
One of the highlights of this month for me was, undoubtedly, the opportunity to attend the ATP Rogers Cup tennis tournament held on the campus of the university where I work. I was lucky enough to have tickets for three of the sessions throughout the week. I've never managed to get tickets to Wimbledon yet so to me this was the closest thing and it was pure heaven for me to watch some of my favourite players battling it out.
I was privileged to see the likes of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Monfils all strut their stuff and show how the game should be played. Sadly, my dreams of a Federer v Nadal final didn't materialize and Federer played Murray instead. I was very torn as to who to support in the final but Murray played incredibly well, beating Federer, to become the Rogers Cup champion for the second year in a row.
The humidity of the week made me realize how talented the players are in terms of being able to demonstrate such great athleticism and endurance amid such trying conditions. The downpours experienced during the final were actually welcome relief as the stadium was quite simply one giant steam bath!
The week after, the temperatures dipped. I have theory it was my guests from England bringing the good ole British weather with them, as the temperatures soared again the day after they flew back! My schoolfriend, Jo, her husband, Jules, and two boys, Leo and Seth, came to stay for a few nights on their way to a wedding in Niagara and a week RVing their way around Ontario. It was fantastic to see them and we had a couple of really nice days exploring the city. The boys particularly enjoyed the children's theme park, Centreville, on the island, where Tom Cruise's wife and daughter hung out a couple of days after us. We had a lovely time and Leo appeared thrilled by his ascent up the CN Tower on his last evening.
Summer is just about still here and the many Toronto festivals continue. Buskerfest is an annual festival held in my locality to raise funds for epilepsy awareness, a cause close to my heart, and, since I last attended three years ago, has grown in both scale and quality. This year I was amazed by the fire and aerial acts, in particular.
An incredible act, which wowed the crowd, was a trio of Dutch stiltwalkers from a company called Close Act. Their three giant dinosaurs were a sight to behold and were actually scarily real when I saw them at night coming down a darkened street towards me. I hope they don't give you nightmares!
Well, another month has flown by and with it, another year! This month I turned 38 and had a lovely day celebrating with friends on the Toronto Islands. The islands were actually once a spit of land connected to Toronto itself but in 1858 there was a violent storm which blew a hole in the land and created a gap. Nowadays, the islands provide a break from the city's buzz and fast pace via a short ferry hop. People live on the islands and there are some Victorian houses on Ward's Island. A group of ten of us had a lovely brunch at the Rectory Cafe and then poked around the island nosing at the lovely homes as well as picking wild raspberries along the beaches.
I also treated myself to an evening at the theatre. I love musicals, part of my theatrical heritage, and so was really pleased to get a ticket for Miss Saigon, a show I've seen a number of times. It was playing at the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts, which is a really beautiful, modern theatre in Toronto. I had bought a $60 ticket for a seat up in the Gods. As the show opened, I was rather dismayed because I couldn't hear anything - the sound was awful. I called the usher over and explained the problem. I was somewhat taken aback when she told me that this was a preview and that they were having technical difficulties but as I had a cheap ticket, I should expect this. This riled me as I don't think $60 is particularly cheap for where I was sitting and it was actually the second night of the performance. Nevertheless, a few minutes later the curtain came down and a man appeared on stage to say that they had stopped the show as the soundboard computer had crashed. Twenty minutes later, the curtain rose again and the sound was as it should be. However, a bit later, things went from bad to worse as part of the set fell down. I was quite amused at this point but felt sorry for the cast who were actually putting on a very strong performance. Thank goodness the helicopter that flies in in the second act didn't crash through the stage at least!
Later in the month I had an altogether rather different evening when I went to a place called O.Noir
This is a restaurant based on a concept initiated by Jorge Spielmann, a blind pastor from Switzerland who used to blindfold his guests at dinner when they went to his house so that they could share his eating experience. He later opened a restaurant called Blindekuh (Blind Cow) in order to teach sighted people about blindness and provide blind people with jobs. Toronto has recently acquired a similar restaurant and along with three other friends I had one of the most interesting dining experiences I've ever had.
To begin our evening we entered the restaurant bar area, which was lit, and ordered our food. Shortly thereafter we were introduced to our waiter, Nasir, who was completely blind. Nasir asked us to switch off our mobile phones and then to place our hands on each others' right shoulders as we were led, conga-style, into the dining room. The dining room was completely dark, absolutely pitch black. Nasir helped each of us find our seats and then explained where our cutlery was on the table. There was music playing in the background but you could sense we were, at that point, the only diners in the room. Gradually more people arrived and the noise levels started to increase.
We were the first to be served and although I couldn't see a thing, I smelt the arrival of the bread basket. The fresh, warm dough balls smelt amazing. Buttering the bread, however, proved to be my first challenge. I began to feel quite stressed and was anxious about putting my knife down because I couldn't see how clean the table was. My anxiety hit me when I found myself clutching my knife and fork so hard that I dug my nails into my palm.
I wasn't the only one to have an unusual reaction. My friends and I all found we responded in different ways. As a group, we found it very difficult to manage our conversation. We found ourselves shouting and talking over one another (more than usual!) as we couldn't pick up on each others' cues. Silent periods made us feel anxious and we kept having to check in with each other to see if people were still there and were OK.
Our starters arrived and the gentle touch of our waiter on our shoulders told us we were being served. I managed to cut up my portabello mushroom quite well and only flicked it off the plate once. My friends were quite amused I'd even bothered as they all decided to abandon their cutlery and use their hands. I was intrigued by this and realized that manners don't really matter much when no-one can see what you're doing. A contrast to an all-seeing world.
The main course came, carried by a waiter with very sexy aftershave on, and I found myself talking my way through the dish narrating to the others what I was consuming and how much was left on my plate. I was the last to finish and had not resorted to fingers, or licking the plate, as one friend confessed later.
Soon, a group of giggly young women arrived making a lot of noise and screeching. One of my friends found the noise levels over-powering and as the meal progressed got more and more agitated by it. To calm the atmosphere, my other friend starting singing Stevie Wonder (!) tunes. It all had an air of Dunkirk spirit about it.
Not long after, our desserts arrived and the rich chocolate and raspberry flavours tasted exceedingly good. I wonder if had I seen its presentation whether I would have felt the same.
Eventually, my friend had had enough and screamed out into the darkness to tell the gaggle of women to shut up. A verbal tussle ensued and the tension rose. In the darkness, my friend found herself grabbing the forks from the table and throwing them in the direction of the objectionable group. She only declared this later and was really quite shocked by her own actions.
We decided it was time to leave and as we entered the light, guided out by Nasir, we were ourselves blinded by its brightness. A de-brief was required as we all felt we had experienced something quite astounding and emotionally quite draining. I spent some time chatting to one of the waiters who told me that it's very common for people to shout in the dark and that there have been times they've had to escort people out as they've reacted so strongly. All I can say is I think it's something all sighted people should try. The restaurant provides employment for blind people but, perhaps most importantly, education for those who may, at times, take the power of sight for granted.
This month I was also delighted to have some visitors here. My friend Rachel and her chap, Paul, came over for just under a week. Rachel had visited me last time I was here so it was an opportunity for her to show Paul the sights and introduce him to Toronto. We had a super time and although I was working for much of their visit, we got together in the evenings for meals.
We did manage to get a couple of days in where I did my best to show them around. We hired a car, a rather funky red mini, and headed out of town into the Ontario countryside.
About an hour and a half from the city is a small town called St Jacob's. Not a huge tourist attraction itself, St Jacob's is known more for its locals. These are the Mennonites, a Christian sect who believe in simplicity, a bit like the Amish. Around the town, the Mennonite farms with green roofs, and white churches dot the lush pastures. Along the roads, Mennonite families ride in their horse-drawn buggies and speak in their German dialect. The community is very traditional and the dress is almost Victorian in style. Women wear long, flower-print dresses and cover their hair with bonnets. Men wear black trousers, white shirts, braces and a straw hat. We encountered a few local Mennonites riding tractors, serving us in the shops and even riding skateboards so not all modern conveniences have been eschewed. Their curiosity about us seemed to match ours about them. We had a lovely day driving through the countryside buying eggs, beets and flowers from the farms on the way.
In contrast to the calm and greenery of the countryside, the next day we were back in the concrete-jungle of Toronto watching the annual Caribana carnival parade. The sounds, colour and costumes would probably have appeared very shocking to the Mennonites we encountered the day before but we had a great day taking in the party atmosphere. A fitting way to end the month.
This month I 'graduated' from my sailing course although, if I'm really honest, I'm not sure I learned that much more about sailing than I didn't already know (not much!) but it was a fun course. I particularly enjoyed the class about the weather. I now know what mammatocumulus look like at least and know that if I ever see them, I should run in the opposite direction! I've also enjoyed the social side of things and the odd bit of sailing I've done so far has been great. I hope to get out more over the forthcoming months. I spent a very enjoyable evening introducing my former student, Taka, to the yacht club. We were invited to an open house evening jumping on and off different people's boats. This ranged from a basic dinghy to a brand new millionaire-style motor yacht, which was really quite an experience. I also volunteered for the Toronto Area Hospice Regatta. The event raised over $20,000 and I very proudly came away with an ice-box on wheels and two pairs of socks in exchange for my contribution...don't ask!
A number of bizarre things have happened this month but one of the strangest was when I was sitting in my basement office talking to one of my team when I felt a very odd sensation. At first I thought I was having a dizzy spell but then when I saw the look on my colleague's face, I realised it wasn't just me that was feeling the waves moving through the building. What we were experiencing was an earthquake. It's epicentre was just north of Ottawa, hundreds of miles away but the 15-second quake was so strong (5.0) we felt here in Toronto. Eastern Canada is not known for its earthquakes so it was a bit of an unexpected occurrence. Fortunately, it didn't do any major damage other than knock a few leaves off the office plant.
As you're probably aware Toronto recently experienced another event that may have more major global impact. The city played host to the 2010 G20 summit. What is usually a peaceful and friendly place turned into a what felt like a war-zone for a few days. It was saddening to see the city streets I love being fenced in and riot police on every corner. 14,000 police were brought in at a cost of well over a billion dollars and military helicopters with soldiers carrying machine guns hanging onto the sides buzzed overhead. I live a couple of blocks from the area that was 'locked down' and am also not far from the former film studio that was used as a police dispatch and detention centre. Consequently, the flow of buses along my street containing riot police or detainees was fairly constant over the few days of the summit.
As I headed to work on the first day of the G20, the downtown area was pretty much a ghost town with boarded up shops and donut-eating police practically the only thing to be seen. Most businesses and banks had shipped their workers out to other offices away from the centre and many educational institutions had shut down. My ride to work was quieter than usual, eerily quiet even. Later in the day, the first reports of 'police activity' started to filter through as I received transport system alerts on my phone. Motorcades started to arrive in the city and the peaceful marches that had been going on all week continued.
Saturday, however, things changed and the event took on a very different tone. I knew there were peaceful marches planned heading south from the area around the Provincial Parliament Building towards the convention centre but apart from the helicopters overhead, all seemed relatively quiet. However, as I emerged onto the street late in the afternoon I saw palls of black smoke and flames rising between the office buildings and hotels on King Street. Police cars blocked the road and the frenzy of onlookers, including myself, were snapping pictures and trying to find out what was going on. I have to admit it all looked very frightening and it was actually a relief to hear that it was 'only' abandoned police cars that had been set on fire and some windows smashed.
Sadly, the peaceful protests had turned more violent. It appears a small group of violent activists using the 'Black Bloc' technique had infiltrated the demonstration and, once dressed in their all black disguises, had wreaked havoc in the downtown core before melting away by discarding their black clothes and blending into the crowds. Others appeared to literally go underground entering the sewer system and emerging hours later. I have no issue with peaceful protest and support many of the ideals of those demonstrating but I don't like the way the 'Black Blocs' operate. Violence of the sort they undertook in Toronto is not necessary and, in so doing, they managed to obscure all the messages the peaceful demonstrators were trying to get across by shifting media attention. There were rumours that the abandoned police cars were left as 'bait cars' by the police as they played their game of cat and mouse with those bent on violence.
Many innocent people were caught up in the situation as the police took an increasingly aggressive stance using pepper spray, muzzle guns, tear gas, menacing behaviour and mass arrests as their tools. The tension in the city was palpable. Laws had been passed in secret to give the police special powers during the G20 and almost a thousand people were arrested, more than ever before in Canadian history at a single event. Detainees were reportedly held in cages with open-door toilets at the movie studio and many complaints have been made about wrongful arrest, the lack of water and inadequate medical attention given to people. Most of those arrested were released without charge within 24 hours. Many people are asking questions of those in power. Certainly, the videos here show a very unpretty picture of what happened from both points of view.
I am just relieved it's all over now but can't help wondering how many more mothers and children might have been helped had the billion dollars spent on policing the summit been re-directed towards them.
The following week I was pleased to encounter the more friendly-side of policing and officialdom when I visited the nation's capital, Ottawa, for Canada Day. We missed seeing the Queen but enjoyed a celebratory concert and excellent fireworks display on Parliament Hill. I particularly enjoyed hearing the Bare Naked Ladies, a popular Canadian band, who you can hear playing in the background of my photo montage below. There was a great party atmosphere the whole weekend.
I'd driven up with three friends and we had a great time exploring the excellent museums and galleries as well as taking in the government buildings and watery setting. We also caught up with a friend from my China days, Fair, for a delicious Vietnamese lunch followed by a traditional Canadian desert, Beaver Tails (donuts that are flat and shaped like...beaver tails). It was a nice break away and we were blessed with fantastic weather. Not a cloud in the sky! Well, certainly not the angry, evil clouds anyway!
Well, this month it seems Leeds has come to Toronto. Firstly, an old schoolfriend, Chris, has been in town and it's been lovely catching up with him over the last month. He's been house-sitting for another friend of mine and using the time to research a novel, which is partly set in Toronto, that he's writing. He brought another friend from home, Jon, and the good weather with him. Summer appears to now be here with warmth, sunshine and a dollop of humidity.
My second visitor from the homeland was a former colleague from my University of Leeds days...which ones I hear a few people ask?! Jude was here on her first visit to Canada and stayed for just over a week with a few days in Quebec City half way through her stay. She seemed to discover much that I love about Toronto and Canada during her few days 'on the loose' whilst I was at work. She made good use of my bicycle to peddle her way around the city and across the harbour via the ferry to the Toronto Islands.
I was able to show her some of the city's sights and, given that she is a former teacher, particularly enjoyed taking her for brunch at a cafe called School complete with chalkboards and an apple on the table for teacher. During the week she was here Toronto threw open many of its normally closed-to-the-public buildings as part of a city-wide event called Doors Open. We were able to gain access to a few architectural gems and see parts of buildings that have been closed off for many years. One particular highlight was the ballroom at the King Edward Hotel, which has been closed and untouched since the 1920s. The King Eddy, as it's known locally, has hosted guests such as Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, John and Yoko...oh, and I saw David Beckham there a couple of years ago!
We also saw the stunning Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres. These theatres make up the only operating double-decker theatre complex in the world, which has been restored to its original vaudeville days splendour. Finally, we strolled the new green roof at City Hall, which has been designed in order to provide a model for other public buildings.
Another highlight of Jude's stay was that we were able to take part in the Commodore's Sailpast, the official start to the 2010 season at 'my' sailing club, the National Yacht Club. We arrived dressed, as instructed, in our nautical attire, white trousers and blue tops hoping to hitch a ride as crew on a boat. When we asked an organizer if he knew of anyone looking for a boat he asked me what kind of boat I'd like...next thing I knew an announcement goes out over the loud-speaker system asking if anyone with a "big" and "expensive" yacht needs crew. Well, we certainly got what we asked for and spent a superb afternoon on board a beauty of a boat called Cadenza in great company. The conditions were perfect and it was good fun if a little hair-raising at times trying to ensure we didn't crash into the rest of the fleet as we all tacked back and forth waiting to get in the line to sailpast the commodore as he gave our boat his salute.
I'd had another great day on the water a week before for Victoria Day and am really enjoying being outside on Lake Ontario whilst mucking about on other people's (very big and very expensive yet very beautiful) boats [tip: turn your speakers on]:
In addition to taking in Toronto's architecture and aqua, I've also been enjoying the art (see what I did there?) I spent a lovely day taking in a variety of artists who were participating in the Riverdale Art Walk and particularly loved the work of Jon Muldoon, a photographer with a penchant for storm drains.
I love Toronto in the summer as it seems to come alive with festivals and outdoor events. Perhaps the biggest thing to hit Toronto this summer, however, is going to be the G20 summit later this month. Living as close as I do to the venue, I'm starting to get quite concerned about how this event is going to impact on those of us who live in the locality. Huge swathes of the downtown core are to be closed (see the blue area of the map below). Bus shelters, benches and bins have already been removed, fencing is going up and my former workplace, the University of Toronto, has declared it's shutting down completely due to the protest zone being at its core. This action is forcing students, including international students, to have classes cancelled and to move to residential accommodation elsewhere. In order to get to work I will need to use the subway which goes under the no-go zone and the designated protest area. We have been advised to 'expect delays'. I suspect it may be quite a challenging journey. Much of the harbour will be closed and they've been sweeping it for weeks turning up bodies encased in concrete in the process. Weddings which were due to be held on the islands have had to be cancelled, postponed or re-located. The total costs of hosting this event are now running into the hundreds of millions and that's before the costs of re-locating the French delegation are factored in. The staff at the French-owned Novotel, where they were booked into, are going on strike.
Whilst I accept world leaders need to talk, I question the need to move their entourages and their wake around the world's city centres and whether the money could be better spent since it seems most of the decisions are made beforehand and it's really just a good photo op. Surely the technology exists for them to just hold a big tele-conference? Or if they do have to meet in person, why can't they do it at the UN HQ, where the infrastructure already exists to host such diplomatic shin-digs? I'd even opt for a cruise liner in the middle of the ocean. I may sound somewhat NIMBY-ish but I would have thought that, by now, the world leaders may have twigged the impact these events have on communities, the economy and fuelling violence when hosted in a metropolis, wherever that might be. These events, with their disruption, riots, gun-toting security officers, tear gas and sound canons, do not exactly engender the same community spirit as the staging of the Olympics or World Cup. That's just my opinion, but, then...I wonder if the politicians that represent me are actually paying attention?? Rant over!
Well, this past month seems to have flown by with lots of "busy-ness" and changes.
I guess the big news is that I've changed jobs...again! Having been working on casual contracts for the past few months, I've now secured a longer contract doing a year-long maternity cover. The job takes me out of teaching and I will most probably be globe-trotting once more as my new role is as Marketing & Administration Manager for York University English Language Institute (YUELI). For those of you Brits who might be slightly confused, there is a York University in Toronto which has nothing to do with the University of York, where I've also worked. York University is the third largest university in Canada with over 50,000 students and is located in the north of Toronto on its own campus. As I live right in the downtown core, it takes me about an hour to get there with three transport changes but so far I've coped in my bleary-eyed state.
As well as being excited by the prospect of taking on a management role and travelling to far off places now and again, I can't wait for mid-August to come round. The reason for this is that as a staff member, I get discounted tickets for the ATP Roger's Cup men's tennis tournament, which is hosted on the campus. So, finally, I might get to see Mr Federer, Mr Nadal, Mr Roddick and Mr Murray play in the flesh.
Sport has been on my mind quite a bit this month as I've been trying to take advantage of the better weather. I bought myself a rather splendid bicycle, which I'm very proud of. It's a Dutch-made, second-hand bike and I got a great deal. I've since been seen navigating the potholes but have to say I think I'll be sticking to the flat-lands of the lakeshore area as the traffic in the city centre gave me the jelly-wobbles! No accidents yet though and my multi-coloured helmet has already drawn compliments from other cyclists...I like to think I'm leading the pack in accessorizing if nothing else.
In addition to taking to my two wheels, I've also taken to the water. I've joined a sailing club and so hope to get out on the wet stuff quite a bit over the summer months. I was a bit intimidated by the idea of being member of the National Yacht Club at first, especially when I read all the club rules. These include the regulation that hats are not permitted in the restaurant and that members must also wear clothing! I've already received an invite from the commodore for his annual salute to the fleet. However, having actually been down to the club, I think I can safely predict that behind the supposed formailities, it's probably going to be one big drunken fest after a very pleasant afternoon messing around in boats.
My sailing adventures will be on Lake Ontario and most weeknights they hold races around the islands. I'm not sure how competitive I am but it sounds like fun and, so as long as they don't mind having a ditzy blonde on board, I'm happy to crew if it gets me out on the water. Sometimes there are longer races across the lake as far as the Niagara region and although I haven't sailed that far yet, I did visit Niagara-on-the-Lake this month.
I should point out that Niagara (of the falls) and Niagara-on-the-Lake are not one and the same. Although close by, they are completely different in character. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a very pretty, quaint town with a real European feel to the place. Niagara, in contrast, is loud, brash and full of neon as well as a heck of a lot of water and tourists! I was invited to join a bus trip organised by some students who were in training to be tour guides. They arranged a great day out at very reasonable cost ($20) and provided excellent commentary en route. Of course, I particularly liked the 'refreshment' stops which were at two of the Ontario-region wineries. I'm not a huge fan of Canadian wine, particularly the very sweet ice wine, but can always be persuaded to sample if nudged (ever so slightly).
As well as doing a bit of sightseeing this month, I've been doing a bit more volunteering in my spare time. Sadly, my new job now prevents me from helping out at the Food Bank but I have put in a few hours there and also as an usher for the HotDocs Festival. HotDocs is an international festival of documentaries held every year here in Toronto. Whilst popular with industry-types, it's also a hit with the locals and sees huge audiences attending over the ten days. I really enjoyed it and as well as being part of the event, managed to see quite a few interesting documentaries. These included documentaries about waitresses around the world and the comedienne Joan Rivers. However, it was perhaps the documentary When I Rise that touched me most.
This film was about the American opera diva, Barbara Smith Conrad. Conrad was one of the first black students to be admitted to the University of Texas in the 1950s. Her singing talent was spotted and she was cast in the female romantic role role of Dido opposite a white male. This caused controversy and fuelled a racist backlash from the state legislature who placed pressure on the university to cancel the performance. Conrad was forced to go into hiding for a while due to death threats but her cause was taken up by the African-American singer, actor and activist, Harry Belafonte. He personally called her and invited her to meet him up in New York where he offered to finance her career as a singer. Initially, she declined his offer as she wanted to graduate but, after returning to the University of Texas and eventually graduating, she took him up on his offer and was trained intensively in languages and singing in New York before going on to become a global operatic sensation. It's an amazing story and the film charted her career but also more recent events when formal apologies and recognition of her achievements were issued by both the University of Texas and the state legislature. It was a real honour for me to meet this special lady in person. She was so gracious and elegant. I was also impressed she took the time to personally thank us volunteers at the end of the screening. Funnily enough, Barbara and I share a connection, her father and my grandfather shared the same name: Conrad Smith.
Finally, this month has also seen me welcome my first visitor. Chris, an old school friend, who actually recommended I come to Toronto in the first place as he had spent a year here previously, arrived to stay with me before going on to house-sit for a month for a friend. It's been lovely to see a familiar face from Leeds in my new home, especially one bearing Walker's Cheese 'n' Onion crisps!
New and (not quite) exclusive!! Chocolate Moose now has merchandise for all you avid followers of the blog. At $23, you can now purchase Chocolate Moose vest tops, nightshirts and pyjama bottoms as modelled (by me!) in the photo. Actually, I can't claim they are anything to do with the blog but I spotted the range in a local shop and couldn't resist the purchase as a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour. Of course, if anyone is seriously interested, I'd be happy to purchase on your behalf...maybe I could embroider the blog address on there??
The past few weeks have been quite busy as Toronto leaps into spring. The weather has been warming up considerably and there have been record-breaking highs. To be honest, this winter has been so mild - the mildest since 1948, or something like that. It's brought everyone out of hibernation. I've had a few fun nights out. These included attending a St Patrick's Day party complete with Irish stew, Baileys cheesecake and shamrock shakes. St Patrick's is a much bigger celebration here in North America it seems! I also had a great night out at the theatre seeing a show called Blind Date. The whole thing was improvised and played out a date between the single professional actress and a male member of the audience who, unwittingly, was selected to take part at the start of the show. It was really very funny and clever seeing how they both responded to each other and yet managed to keep their 'date' going for two hours to the point where they were married and she gave birth!
Another highlight was an Icelandic dinner at The Drake Hotel which I was invited to and where we dined on reindeer (sorry Rudolph!) and drank Blueberry Geyser cocktails. My drink didn't stop bubbling!
My first term at the University of Toronto has now come to an end but we are straight back in to another one so I took the opportunity to get away over the long Easter weekend. My friend Janet and I headed south of the border on a one-hour flight with the very snazzy Porter airlines from the Toronto Island Airport to Chicago. We arrived easily enough and transferred to our hotel from Midway Airport via the famous El train. I was very excited as this featured heavily in my favourite TV programme: ER. Our hotel, the Palmer House Hilton, was ideally located and had the most amazing lobby. You could just imagine the Chicago mobsters enjoying a night out there.
Architecture was really the theme of our trip and Chicago certainly has plenty of amazing buildings and structures, both inside and out, to show off. We were helped in our interpretation of these buildings by tour guides from the Chicago Architecture Foundation and a boat tour we took. Here is just a sample (tip: turn on your speakers):
Other highlights included seeing a great play at the famous Steppenwolf Theatre which has John Malkovich, Joan Allen and Gary Sinese among its ensemble cast. We also went to Buddy Guy's Legends blues club and ate at Lou Mitchell's Restaurant, a well-known Route 66 eatery. I also enjoyed trying Chicago-style pizza at Gino's East Pizzeria and going Spanish at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba.
However, being the sad celeb-obsessed type that I am, one of my absolute highlights was going to the Harpo Studios where they film the Oprah Winfrey Show. Try as we might, they wouldn't let us in and our efforts to stalk Oprah at the Stage Door also failed. However, we made up for these disappointments by sitting in the same chair as Oprah used to sit in at the Oprah Store. I may have purchased a few items but managed to resist the 'pre-worn by Oprah' designer gear hanging in Oprah's closet. That Giorgio Armani top for $35 nearly came home with me, but didn't...not that I'm regretting it now...much!
Yet more excitement was still to come as we eventually managed to track down the precise location of Barack and Michelle Obama's Chicago home. After a bit of super-sleuthing, we found the house in the Kenwood area of the city and snapped a few pictures without getting arrested. I was most impressed that I saw President Obama's basketball hoop! So, on that note, here is my parting gift to you...my Obama in Chicago trail map!
Obama in Chicago Trail
Start at 5046 S Greenwood Ave (Obama's home). It's on the corner of E Hyde Park Boulevard. Walk toward the university and a popular Obama eating place at Medici (1327 E 57th St) where staff wear 'Obama Eats Here' t-shirts. Continue south as you wander through the university perhaps checking out the Rockefellar chapel or Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. Cross the grassy Midway Plaisance and just to the west of Woodlawn Avenue you'll find the University of Chicago Law School, where Obama worked, at 1111 E 60th St.
Firstly, although I have had a bit of a baking spree, I really haven't been conjuring up amazing concoctions in the kitchen. I have, however, had a couple of encounters with British 'celebrity' chefs who have been in Toronto promoting their latest recipe books. Gordon Ramsay was my first encounter and, contrary to my expectations, was surprisingly charming. I blushed when he kissed me and enjoyed our brief flirtation in the cooking section of the local bookstore.
My next encounter was with someone who is certainly not a fan of Mr Ramsay's TV persona, Jamie Oliver. Jamie presented a live 'show' involving a Q 'n' A session plus a bit of cooking. He made recipes from his American cookbook including a cerviche recipe and taught us that it was important to take a piece of rosemary, rub it in the juices in the pan and "spank" our steak!
In between my dalliances with the culinary world, I was sent on a very important mission by my friend Jon. Jon's niece has been set a task of seeing where in the world her hand-crafted puppet, Flower the Owl, can fly to during the school year. Having already flown business class to Dubai, her next stop was Toronto and she stayed with me for a few days before flying to the top of the CN Tower and back down again. She has now winged her way to the Canadian east coast. It was a pleasure having her to stay en route though.
Toronto is feeling rather festive with trees, lights and Christmas stalls abound. The one thing that has been in short supply compared to the UK has been snow. I'm starting to wonder if the snow and I did a house swap when I moved here a year ago! We've had the odd coating but nothing like that seen in Europe. I may be speaking too soon but my new snow boots are still looking pristine.
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