I love this time of year, my wife and I particularly like going to markets in general, so it was a real treat to be able to visit the established ‘Toronto Christmas Market’, especially as it was only open from November 20th to December 20th. Continue reading “Toronto Christmas Market (Distillery Historic District)”
Tag: #cities
Vancouver, Main Street – ‘East is East’ (part 8)
(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)
OK, if you have been keeping up, a little recap since this morning:
The Sky Train, The SeaBus, Downtown Vancouver, Trees Organic and a fantastic yummy breakfast, The Seawall, Granville Island and Public Market, Railspur District, Gastown…phew!
Now I really needed something good to eat, something different, something with a bit of class, somewhere that has had excellent reviews and has a very good reputation…that will be Èast is East` thank you very much. There is a link below if you would like to see their website and menu, and if you go to the music page you can listen to some of the music on offer, just this makes me want to visit again…soon!
I walked a long way to get here, actually, by the time I had finished all of the above, and by the time I had reached this place (which I had actually read about back in the UK for one of the best places to eat when visiting Vancouver) it was just after 5pm, I did not leave this place until just before 10pm with at least an hour journey back to my accommodation. From the photos below, you can see that it was daytime when I arrived and not many people which led into the night and where the place became packed.
Why was this you may ask. Well, the decor was wonderful, the service was more than I could ask for, the food was so good, I took their signature dish which are very small portions of all their very best stuff on the menu, and when you finish that, you can order as much or as little as you want from the menu (same as before or different dishes) and the price stays the same.
But honestly, the main reason I stayed there was because on this night they has some splendid, mesmerising, soulful and classy entertainment which just made the whole visit exceptional in my view. I appreciate that not everyone may like this sort of music, but for me, this was very special.
There were three amazingly talented music artists that were playing fusion music together, there was a mix of Persian and Sufi music intertwined with aspects of Chinese music…after the day I had, there was very little battery left in the I Pad so I could not capture more than what I did below (and the sound quality may not give the credit that is due, but gives you an idea) which is a great shame as there were so many incredibly moving pieces that were being innovated as they played along…wow!
Downtown Vancouver: Gastown (part 7)
(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)
A short walk from Downtown Vancouver, there is a place that really makes you feel you are in a different era, it is called ‘Gastown’, I really liked this place, it was tremendously cosmopolitan, it has so much character and independence about it and as you walk around, you can feel the historic charm and spirit.
The types of shops in and around this area are like nothing I have seen before, some shops are totally unique in the way they are presented and the things they sell. Some shops are too expensive to even look at like ‘Versace Home’! Impeccable boutiques are dotted around, one-of-a-kind galleries and an evident and thriving fashion scene. The Victorian architecture I really admired, lots of colours and designs to take in.
One place that attracted the most amount of people while I was in a particular area was the ‘The Gastown Steam Clock’, the world`s first ever steam powered clock, amazing to see it work on the hour, if you have time, read what its about (there are videos you can see of this working and there is a link of the refit below earlier this year).
Vancouver: Granville Island, Railspur District (part 6)
(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)
After my visit to the Public Market on Granville Island, I saw a very interesting building with a sign saying “this way to handmade local goods by Artists & Artisans” based in Railspur District on Granville Island, although this was not part of my plan, I was attracted to see what was there. It is such a cool, creative, happening place to be.
Some of the items on display were incredible, clearly some very talented people here and full credit to them for being part of such a wonderful and inspiring district. The fact that you can observe people working in the workshops and creating what you see on display for sale is very heart warming as you see how much effort and skill goes into some of these products. Have you seen rice plants by the way? The photo of me inside a ladies boutique may cause some concern, but I promise I was there to buy some gifts! This was a boutique that sold ladies scarfs that were created in a studio just outside, they are unique as you can only buy them from this one store, you cannot even buy them online.
By far, my favourite place in Railspur District was ‘The Hang Out Place’ that specialised in hammocks, the guy working (maybe not the correct word to be honest) looks very comfortable, wouldn’t you agree?
http://granvilleislandworks.com/
http://granvilleisland.com/category/gifts/188
Vancouver: Granville Island (part 5)
(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)
After my refreshing Seawall bike ride, I was energised to take on the next part of the day. I had read that a very nice place to visit if time allowed was a shopping district called ‘Granville Island’. This was about a 30 minute bus ride from Downtown Vancouver and is located near the Granville Street bridge.
The Public Market is known as the jewel in the island’s crown. It is an absolutely fantastic place to visit, away from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Vancouver, the buzz here is quite different, much more welcoming, a little more laid back and some of the people were the nicest people I have met. The variety and the assortment of different foods that you can choose from is mind-blowing in this place, even when you have eaten, you will salivate when you walk past the next place…it is actually that good, I hope that the photos below do justice to what I am saying here (be prepared if you have a sweet tooth like me).
Again, the weather was just amazing, so blissful, it was just like being in some Mediterranean country, which just made the whole experience even richer and more enjoyable. The feel to this place was something quite special, so much so that when I close my eyes, I can actually feel the sun shining down on me, smell the aromatic fragrances from global foods everywhere I went and sense all the pleasure I did when I was physically there.
The variety of breads reminds me that I can never participate in a low carb diet, never mind a carb free diet! The selection of fruit was great, I particularly liked the unusually shaped grapes. I wonder if anyone can guess what the man is whisking in the bowl? The cakes were very inviting, ample variety of vinaigrette’s, I had never seen so many in one place, the assortment of honey looked very sticky and tasty, the Granville Island Tea Company reminded me of the UK and the Eccles Cakes were an interesting take on the ones I had when I was younger.
The final photo is of a man who was so full of energy that he basically oozed positive energy, he displayed so many skills by playing a selection of instruments while he performed. I captured one video before I was on my way, I thought he and his assistant did a very good job of it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
http://granvilleisland.com/discover-island/visitors-guide
Downtown Vancouver, Seawall (part 4)
(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)
If you visit Vancouver, a really smart way of seeing a lot of sights in a short amount of time is to hire a bike and cycle around the Seawall. It’s basically a stone wall that was constructed around the perimeter of the famous Stanley Park to prevent the erosion of the park’s foreshore. It’s about 9km in length around Stanley Park and I believe is part of a much longer (28km) path, apparently, the worlds longest uninterrupted waterfront path. The path is divided into two: one for joggers and walkers, and the other for cyclists and skaters. At your own leisure, you can cycle and see some really wonderful parts of this buzzing city. You can obviously also walk, jog or rollerblade too if you prefer.
I decided to rent a bike that had the electric feature and a really cool ‘boost’ sort of button when you need that extra speed as you buzz around the Seawall. I was told that there are some places where you can actually rent a bike for free, however, I did not have the time to explore this option.
I managed to bike around the Seawall and see the following things in 59 minutes, I did my trip quickly because there was so much I wanted to see, the extra rates you pay after the hour are very reasonable and won’t break the bank, I would recommend to take a little more time if you have.
After the breakfast I had at Tree Organic, this was a welcome workout, I saw some very expensive boats, lovely accommodation, amazing colourful ‘changing’ trees, seaplanes, very cool horse carriages, hundreds of geese, more local talent, magnificent bridges, the famous Stanley Park, a woman who looked like a mermaid and a bird impersonating her, log formations on a beach, fantastic views of Downtown Vancouver and a laughing tree! What else might I see during the rest of my day in Downtown Vancouver?
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/seawall.aspx
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seawall_(Vancouver)
Downtown Vancouver (part 1)
(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 30th September)
After my whale watching adventure, my next two days were planned to spend and see as much as possible of Vancouver. I was so excited to be in Vancouver, I heard so much about this place and was keen to experience a little of why some people believe this to be one of the best places to live, and if that is not possible, to at least visit. Vancouver officially the City of Vancouver, is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada.
It was interesting to find out that Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English, in addition to this, Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality. Another interesting fact was that major film production studios in Vancouver and Burnaby have turned Greater Vancouver and nearby areas into one of the largest film production centres in North America, earning it the film industry nickname, Hollywood North.
There were so many brilliant things about Vancouver, and that is why I will be posting 8 parts to my 2 day visit to Vancouver and the surrounding areas. When I think about it now, I don’t know how I did it, but I covered a lot of ground in the time I had and saw some truly wonderful sights, sounds and tastes.
Below are some photos of the very cool Sky Train which I found very effective and convenient to get around, I strongly recommend this if you want to be cost effective and get from A to B pretty quickly. I took the SeaBus to North Vancouver, to be honest, I did this simply to come back towards Downtown Vancouver and capture the splendid city form afar and be able to approach it from the water, I thought the skyline was really something to take in early in the morning. The last bit of this post was this wonderfully talented man who I thought was incredibly innovative with his bagpipes and beat boxing fusion (and later with his steel drum)…I had never seen anything like it before…I suppose its a bit like Marmite, you will either love it or hate it (I am not sure what the North American equivalent would be, maybe peanut butter and jelly?).
http://vancouver.ca/
SKY TRAIN:
SEABUS TO NORTH VANCOUVER AND THEN BACK TO DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER
LOCAL TALENT
Edward Gardens, Toronto
A refreshing walk, a beautiful day, the girls absolutely loved this place as they were able to explore comfortably at their own leisure, the fallen and the falling leaves were a true joy, the smell in the air of the changing of the weather, the crisp and fresh air was totally rejuvenating…
Nature definitely speaks to us, we just need to be attentive and receptive to its message!
To paint or not to paint…I suppose it was going to happen…it should not even be a question!
Any mention of painting drives them crazy, by ‘them’ I mean my crazy, creative, courageous girls. They love it, and to be honest, it’s always a lot of fun, they make it a lot of fun.
However, today, I thought I would do a little experiment and see how Sara (the 2 year old going on 16) would react to a particular situation. What would she do if I placed my head (this beautiful brown, perfectly shaped object) in her way while she is painting? What would she do? How long would the reaction take? Would she react at all? Would she talk to me to gain some sort of consent? I was nervous, it was tense and let me tell you, I could see her thinking about it, what was she to do, how should she deal with this object? I could feel that she was poised to attack, just as a predator leaps on their prey!
OK, so I know this is a bit dramatic, because it actually is a little dramatic, the fact is, Sara took very little time to react, she basically looked at me, smiled at me, and then she slapped my head with both her hands and created a unique, let me repeat, a unique piece of art, and since this day, she wants to see the photos all the time. Sara keeps asking me in the most adorable way…’Baba, can I paint your head again, I like it, I really like it!’ The last photo will give the answer I always give her when she asks, it ‘will’ happen again, she will paint!
Halloween…kids will be kids!
Just a few photos of the girls spending some time with their family and not really taking part in Halloween per se, but in their view (and their elder cousins I should add!) a fanatastic opportunity to collect a stash of sweets, candy, chocolate, the sticky chewy stuff, whatever you want to call it, that makes them go a little crazy…all free of charge, which is always welcome, sharing not an option…so grateful it only takes place once a year, but all good fun, and Sara (my Sara that is) is just totally adorable, I don’t even think she was aware what her cousin sisters stuck behind her…one for her wedding day photo I would suggest! You need to guess the others?
