It's back to an altogether less fun flying machine today. An American Eagle Bombardier CRJ-700 to be precise. I'm currently awaiting it's arrival at gate A9 of Toronto's Pearson Airport and getting brain freeze from the Double Chocolate Chip Frappucino that I've treated myself to with my last five Canadian dollars. It's been nice to have the Queen back on my (plastic) bank notes for a couple of days!
This morning I got to see Toronto at work instead of at play. Canada had its national holiday - Victoria Day - last Monday so enjoying the sunshine today felt extra extravagant as everyone around me busied themselves on cell phones and walked purposefully from the subway to their offices.
My hostel was on Church Street, aptly named for the many churches situated along its length, including both the Catholic and Anglican Cathedrals. Both are rather smaller than the Cathedrals I am used to... but rather lovely all the same.
The latter was just across the street from the hostel and it amused me to be stood in line behind the Bishop as I bought my morning bagel in Starbucks yesterday morning. In case you are wondering, his breakfast of choice is an egg and sausage muffin and a medium roast grande coffee!
Today I walked up Church Street to catch the bus to the north part of town and the Bata Shoe Museum. This intriguing little attraction, shaped like a shoe box, charts the evolution of footwear and shoemaking in different cultures with a particular focus on the First Nations people of North America. Fascinating stuff but I have to admit that I was rather more blown away by the ballet shoes of Fonteyn and Nureyev and the special sneakers exhibition on the top floor. I'm such a heathen.
One museum is enough for a sunny day, so I paused briefly outside the striking Daniel Libeskind designed Royal Ontario Museum to take some photos before wandering down the granite paved 'Mink Mile' to do some window shopping at the likes of Tiffany and Gucci.
I've enjoyed my little holiday in Toronto. Like I thought, there's not enough here to have warranted a special trip all the way from the UK but, as a weekend break, it was just the ticket. It was also a little sojourn from the relentlessness of NYC as the people here seemed a little friendlier, a little calmer and a little less fashion obsessed!
That said, I'm looking forward to unlocking the door to my little apartment this evening and spending a cosy night in. I wonder if the cat downstairs has missed me.
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