July 2: Toronto

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Right across the street from us is a place equivalent to Dunkin Donuts, called Tim Hortens, and it was there that Alexandra and I had breakfast this morning.  Alexandra had a half-caf coffee and a maple donut, and I had a regular coffee and a carrot/walnut muffin, both of which were scrumptious.  

Our first order of business was to get in the car to see the Gothic house pf a 19th c. business magnate.  The house and gardens were called Casa Loma, but when we got there, we had to park in the neighborhood, as the adjacent parking lot was too full.  We walked some of the gorgeous neighborhood filled with glorious gardens and houses, but the crowd entering the house was so large that we decided to go on Monday.  

Instead, we went to the Bata Shoe Museum.  The building is like walking into an oversized shoebox.  Inside there were hundreds of shoes, from a 16th c. platform mule from Venice to John Lennon's black shoes.  The museum displays its 12,000 strong collection of shoes to the public on a rotating basis, so there is always something new to see.  At the moment, the current running exhibitions were the following: "Art and Innovation: Traditional Arctic Footwear from the Bata Shoe Museum Collection"; "Standing Tall: the Curious History of Men in Heels" and "Fashion Victims: the Pleasure and Perils of Dress in the 19th Century."  Amazing collection, and Alexandra and I totally enjoyed all of the exhibits.  

From the Bata Museum we drove to the Kensington Market district, parked, and searched out a restaurant Alexandra had found called North Poké, where I was introduced to Poké, a Hawaiian dish with the following ingredients: white rice, chunks of salmon, sesame seeds, avocado, fried shallots, green onions, nori (seaweed), watermelon radish, sambal crema (a type of spicy cream), and sweet soy marinade.  Alexandra had a similar dish, with sesame soy marinade, cucumbers, and ahi tuna.   Then we went to a tea shop to look around, and finally to a Rexall (how many of you remember that our current Walgreens stores were once called by that name?) to get some razor blades.  We returned home soon afterwards, and Alexandra took a small nap and then a bath, while I read.  

At around 6:00 p.m. we started strolling from our apartment down to the Lake Ontario waterfront, recently redesigned and now a stroller's paradise.  The Waterfront offers a dynamic mix of parks, arts and culture, masted sailing ships shops and restaurants, all connected by the Water's Edge Promenade.  Our walk ended at the CN Tower, and our next stop was the Ripley Aquarium of Canada.  It consists of nine very carefully curated galleries, featuring one of the world's most extensive jellyfish exhibits, the longest moving sidewalks, stingray and bamboo shark touch pools, and daily live dive shows.  Alexandra was mesmerized by the stingrays, manta rays and jellyfish!  

From there, we walked back to our apartment, choosing along the way a Thai restaurant called Coco Rice, where we shared shrimp rolls and green curry with tofu and vegetables--all excellent.  By the time we got back it was dark, and we had walked, today, 20,000 steps or 8.2 miles--not bad, considering that just recently I had hurt my right leg falling into a gopher hole!  Tomorrow we are off for more sightseeing, but tonight our feet will be rewarded by a good dose of Arnica gel!  As ever, Sylvia