Toronto Meanderings

Photos from our 11-mile walk all throughout Toronto.

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My day started with an early morning 5-mile run along the harbor Waterfront area

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Toronto's flat - iron landmark, the Gooderham Building

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Visiting the St. Lawrence Market

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We had a filling breakfast at a great place called Marche, so we were not able to try this famous sandwich

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The market had plenty of shops, restaurants and bakeries. This is Stone Mill Bay House, everything looked so good and the prices were very affordable

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Shots from The Distillery District

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Cool old buildings mixed with new

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St. James Cathedral

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We continued our walk and visited the Metropolitan United Church

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Toronto Old City Hall

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Walking along Spadina Avenue through the heart of Chinatown

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We had lunch in the Kensington Market, at Venezuelan restaurant where we tried a new food dish made with arepas. It was yummy and we got so full.

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After lunch, we continued walking around the Kensington Market and came across this...

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Hand-Rolled Ice Cream?!

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While walking through Chinatown, we came across this sign with a dubious claim

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When in Canada, everyone loves Slurpees. We went to a local 7-Eleven

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And had a buffet of choices to indulge

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But not this one. I sampled this flavor and gagged

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Royal Ontario Museum. Since our train arrive too late the previous day, we were not able to visit this top attraction

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Queen's Park

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Ontario legislative building

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And we wondered through the town, we were always looking up, admiring the architecture in the mix of old buildings with new skyscrapers and condos

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We finished the evening by listening to some music at the Toronto Jazz Festival at Nathan Phillips Square

Whew!  And thus our great day in Toronto… And next time we’ll do the ROM, the Toronto Islands,  Harbourfront and get lost in the Path.

A Visit to Casa Loma and Spadina Museum Historic House & Garden

Our train from Winnipeg to Toronto was supposed to arrive by 9:40 a.m., but due to many delays from freight trains (we had to “pull over” for each one)  we did not pull into the station until 3 hours later. We were able to check into our Air B&B, grab a late lunch, and then had the rest of the evening to explore the north end of the city at Spadina Museum and Casa Loma.

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Ascending the Baldwin Steps

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Spadina House and Gardens

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Visiting the home is by tour only

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Next stop, Casa Loma "the House on the Hill"

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We are provided with audio listening devices to help guide us around the castle

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Up on the tower

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We enjoyed a light dinner while listening to a concert symphony

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We stayed until sunset, then headed back

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It was hard to stop taking so many photos of this magnificent place!

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Via Rail The Canadian, Culinary Tour Part 2, Winnipeg to Toronto

Continuing our post from part one, we had one full day on the train and one morning before arriving into Toronto.

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Chef's omelette was three cheese

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Soup of the day: Asparagus

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I went with the bison burger which was very good and spot on, but I wish I had french fries with it

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Lisa went with the wrap, which was good but not great

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Dessert was a brownie and chocolate ice cream, once again very very good

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Our final dinner on the train presented some good choices

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The soup of the day was a tomato bisque, which we both thought it was really well done

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Lisa chose the chicken , which she liked a lot

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I went with the fish, which was good in some spots and too fishy and maybe a little undercooked in others. I ended up not finishing it

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And finally the desserts. Lisa want with the carrot cake, which was perfect

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I ordered the chocolate caramel cake, which was decadent and a great finish to the somewhat disappointing main course

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For our final breakfast, I want with the chef salad which was ham and cheese

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Lisa got a continental breakfast, just some cereal, a bran muffin, and yogurt

After 3 full days and 3 nights worth of dinners, we felt the food was pretty darn good, but the real winners were definitely the desserts. It was the best part of each meal and we look forward to it every lunch and dinner. The food is much better than the Amtrak version, and for the most part service was quick, friendly and attentive. 

Dining seating is by shared table, so you definitely meet a lot of new people and fellow travelers.  There are usually two or three meal times depending on how full the train is. Breakfast is typically open seating with no reservation needed from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Lunch requires a reservation, with meals beginning at 11:15 and 12:30pm. Dinner starts relatively early at 4:30pm, 6:00p.m., and then 7:30 p.m. 

There is bar service available, but it is not included in your meals so that would be an extra charge.  Gratuities are not required, but appreciated. Typically we take $2 each for breakfast $3 each for lunch and $4 or $5 each for dinner depending on the level of service.

Fort la Reine Museum and Pioneer Village

Lisa and I enjoyed a couple of hours at this underrated attraction that featured many different buildings and artifacts to show how life was in these Prairie setting from the days of the natives to the modern era.

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It does not look much from the outside, and we were a little hesitant about paying the $10 admission, but we were glad we did.

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When you were provided with hey little booklet, which served as a guide to explain all the different buildings and artifacts each one

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So much farm machinery! So exciting!

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Ukrainian Church

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Fancy parlor car from a train

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Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame? No way!

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Step right up and buy my wares!

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Of course Lisa would have to pose in this photo , the teacher at the head of the class

Prairie Blessings Bed and Breakfast

We were fortunate enough to find a hidden gem in the air Airbnb Network, a former church that is now home to Prairie Blessings Bed and Breakfast. Located just outside of Portage la Prairie and about a little over an hour west of Winnipeg, we had a great overnight stay and we wish we could have stayed longer. We learned a lot about Canada and about all of life’s ups and downs from the husband-wife proprietors Jerri and Rick.  They purchased the converted Church property a little over a year-and-a-half ago, and have been welcoming guests since July 2015. The digs are super comfortable , and although there is no TV, they do have Wi-Fi with many personal touches throughout. The space encourages conversation, reflection and peaceful relaxation. They shared stories about past guests that were passing through, including one woman who was on a Vision Quest and had hiked almost 20 kilometers with 80 pounds of gear on her back to get to Prairie Blessings. We had a rejuvenating stay and we would definitely come back on a future road trip! 

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The last service was back in 2004

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Our bedroom, featuring a king-size Memory Foam bed

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Room number two, which was unoccupied when we stayed.

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Room number three, also unoccupied. The furniture in rooms two and three come from Jerry's family

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The bedrooms are located in the basement and share a small sitting area and a well-stocked bar area

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Hey welcome amenity fruit basket for guests

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It is a shared bathroom comma but we were in no competition since we were the only guests

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The bathroom was well-stocked with plenty of grooming products, towels, bathrobes and more

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The included breakfast was served on the main floor, which are the living areas for Rick and Jerri

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Outdoor deck area. We were not able to use the outside due to the constant rain

Jerri and Rick are both very friendly and personable and enjoy meeting their guests. They explained that they had a calling to open up this bed-and-breakfast and we are impressed and inspired by their story. They are not doing it for the money, they are doing it to engage and relate to their fellow man.  We wish them continued success.