Yesterday (which didn’t get a post due to the fact I fell asleep at Jason and Yuka’s and then fell asleep again on the train – I blame this on my body’s continued desire to wake me at stupid-o-clock and on the (relatively) vast quantity of Alcohol and good food consumed) I headed into Toronto again (are we all seeing the pattern?) with Rochelle, meeting up with Jason in the city for the Markets and West End tour.
And some excellent sandwiches.
And a shiny shiny kitchen shop.
And pretty, pretty Toronto. I’d show you, but I didn’t take many (any) photos – rest assured I will, but I didn’t take any that day. I saw the Farmers Market at St Lawrence (albeit they were in the midst of packing up – but they (generic they: Canadians) understand Sausages. Oh the joy. Salad cream *and* Sausages! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Err. Um. Yeah. Anyway). Aaaanyway – then we headed… oh, all over the place, finally ending up at a fantastic Cheese shop selling incredibly gorgeous cheese. Canadians – they understand food, british humour, and well, seem to be incredibly nice (as a vast sweeping generalisation). This nation just rocks.
Anyway, we then headed to Jason and Yuka’s for dinner; which was… gorgeous. (Oh, I skipped over the LCBO, which deserves a mention (even if only) for Rochelle. The LCBO is the only place to get wine in Ontario. The LCBO is much like a good Victoria Wine or Thresher; in that buying wine feels like a refined experience – unlike picking up your cheap bottle of plonk at the local super-value-hypermarket. Anyway, we went to an LCBO. A big one. Which was very nice). The pizza (or ‘za) was damn good – and again I got to feel shockingly civilised; coming from my ‘room’ in hospital accomodation where I’ve for the last month eaten dinner with my feet propped on a pillow on an open draw while sat in a broken chair watching (usually) Northern Exposure – to instead be sat chatting to people over a very nice dinner drinking rather nice wine… well. It’s a bit of a change :-)
I like change :-)
Anyway, I drank too much, but I don’t think I made a prat of myself; although I did fall asleep on their sofa – but I’m allowed to do that :-)
And then we come to today…
So, today I headed into the fearsome Toronto to battle it’s complex streets alone (in other words, Rochelle had some work to do and so I went in by my little lonesome with naught but a Lonely Planet guidebook, some 2800mAh batteries (and my spare 2000mAh batteries), my camera and my hoodie). On the way in on the Go I was chatted to by random people. This seems to happen here in a way that only happens to Lauren normally. People just are friendly and chatty and talk to you. It’s really rather refreshing! Anyway, I got off at Union Onion, and I debated… get a daypass thingie or just walk. In another universe I toured on the streetcars, but in this one I wore away the soles of my runners.
I walked. And walked. I walked up to Yonge and round Dundas and up Church and down College and just generally rambled around the centre of Toronto. And while I sat in a Starbucks (sorry Second Cup – the Maple Latte is gorgeous, but ’tis the season for Pumpkin – and Pumpkin Spice Latte wins out (that I blame on cadhla)) I read a copy of Xtra… and then I headed out and found ‘This Ain’t the Rosedale Library’ which I’d heard of, and had vague intentions of visiting. I just suddenly saw it there; lurking and went in. So, someone’s got a book for an xmas prezzie. And there it was that it finally hit me – the ‘yeah, I can start to feel what it’s like to live here’; I’ve done the supermarkets, drug stores, take aways and the TTC (with it’s cute noise (what (I think) it *should* sound like and how it actually sounds). And all the time I took photos, lots of photos.
As I wandered I came across a film shoot – sadly no one seemed to be around, but since I’d not even heard of it ’til I found them preparing to shoot it, well… I didn’t think to hang around for a long time. I took about 50 before the low battery symbol appeared on my camera; then I switched batteries.
There’s one symbol in the world that you don’t want to see on your camera – and that’s the red-battery symbol. Especially as you see the cutest dyke couple walking down Yonge with what appears to be the most fantastic photo opportunity. Sadly, when the red-battery symbol appeared I’d already switched to my alledgedly 2000mAh batteries because my 2800mAh batteries had given up.
Then I saw a decidedly less cheery image – some poor homeless lass on a vent (presumably for the heat) – that’s one thing that cities all have in common – homeless people… I kind of wanted to capture it – it made me think a lot about the shiny pictures I’d been taking all day.
…it made me think, and it made me miss ‘The Big Issue’; there at least is something people who are homeless can do to change their lives – and something that people who aren’t homeless can do that changes homeless people’s lives. I like buying the Big Issue. It happens to be a good mag – and at the same time you’re supporting someone’s efforts to get off the street. There’s so many reasons people end up homeless; and talking to guys who are homeless when I was on my course and spent time at the health care centre in the homeless shelter, it was really enlightening, and it really made me think much harder about any notions I had about becoming homeless. It’s much easier than you’d think to lose everything. But the Big Issue doesn’t exist here – which is quite surprising. At least to me…
Anyway. Yeah. So I chose that point to head home; hopping back on the Go (which I have come to love), and listening to the cheery announcements of the driver (well, conductor / guard / whatever) – after dark they seem to go a bit odd. In the day light the announcments are all very sane and sensible. At night, they take on a quirky nature and make me love the Go more.
Because I’m a pain in the arse, or potentially ass; I’ve dumped the photos on Flikr, but I’m afraid it’s in the same set as the other ones. So, uh, yeah. Get over it already.
