I really didn't do much at all. Just visited some places I've missed. And took some photos while I was at it. So, if you would liketo follow along withmy uneventful journey, just keep a-readin'and a-scrollin'.
Le tout-Debut
Decided on this mini-escape quite last minute. Lucky me, I had friends who had planned on going to Niagra, and I was able to hitch a ride, as well as a one night accomodation in their abode in Ottawa.
Leaving direct from work, I packed my bag that morning, in the company of my new apt.-kitty, Juancho.
He is my little polar bear.
So handsome! :)
After Work
My long day falls on Fridays, a good 10 1/2 hours of work. But once again in good company for the shift(yay, no lonesome). The cash balanced fine. My buddies picked me up from work and we drove (*ahem* He drove, I just ate a Vietnamese sub!) to OT.
Oh ya, Extra Anecdote Time: In a dark car it is quite hard to see (thanks obvious), so when nearing the end of my sandwich, a piece of uhm, what seemed like celery (who puts celery in a sandwich?) fell onto my lap. In pop-ed it in my mouth and the next second I was dying. More like a hot pepper of some sort then celery.. Of course I didn't make a scene, and those in the front seats knew not of my short lived agony. Apparently I don't do spicy very well.
Ottawa
2-ish hours later we arrived. Hung around listening to music. Such an 1999 playlist, I felt thrown back a bunch of years.
Slept a bit and up-and-leaving at 7am in the mornin'.
You can find this one sleeping just about anywhere/anytime.
breakfast?
Off to an early start!
T Dot Arrival
Familiar street names appear
Dropped off at a subway station and made my way south to DownTown..
Day pass
The Subway trains are much more train-like then our STM ones. They sway on the tracks. I knew you could miss tastes, smells, sounds, but hey, now add motions to the list~
Also, a few of the stations are above ground. It was a beautiful sunny day, just my luck :)
Once Downtown, the bright colours were everywhere. Note this was pride weekend. From H&M displays to Roots logos, it was nice to see such an involved community. Refreshing. And segway from "refreshing" to.. Jugo Juice. mmmmm.
how the real tourists get it done.
Street car-ing it down Queen St.
(Sorry, this is getting to be quite the photo heavy post!)
A tad dissapointed they were closed for CanadaDay Weekend. Wanted very much to stop in for a HipHop or Dancehall class!
Part of missing Toronto days is for sure me just missing my sister. I love my sister. Like really really. It was nice living in the same city as her. Wish it was still the case. anywho,
This is the park right by her office where I would hang out waiting for here to get off of work. Sometimes with a lunch for her. Sometimes with some baked goods from my bakery. Sometimes with cookie crumbs around my mouth if I had failed in the will power department and had devoured what I had brought along..
China Town Fruit/Veg/Other Market
freshly cut sugar cane
Kept making my way up trough China Town until I reached Mashion Bakery. The equivalent would be CocoBuns back home, but just a bit better :)
ah yes, Pork Buns, I had been craving for a good week and a half now!
Pork Bun omnomnom
Next up I took the Subway West to Bathurst, where one can find, more street cars, and Honest Ed's. Only the crazies-big bargain center around (referenced in Scott Pilgrim).
Honest Ed's at night (not my picture)
Beautiful strawberries in Mirvish Village means we are steps away from my favorite neighbourhood...
Korea Town!
For a good four blocks most all signage is written in Hangul. Which is four blocks of practice reading everything in sight for me. I stopped in to a tiny shop, with such cute little things, a girly version of me would have been in heaven, the kpop fan girl version of me would be in awe, and the actually version of me was mainly drawn to the weird ugly monster on a phone charm.
Engrish? What are you trying to communicate to me.
(I think I'm developing a thing for monsters)
Where I got my hair cut when I was a short lived Torontonian. Cinderella Salon.
Jong-ro Bookstore. I had gone a few times when I was residing nearby. The store owner was always very welcoming, offering 보리차 (wheat tea?) and we would chat a bit (in english of course. No way I was gonna bust out my shotty anyeonghaseyo!). Malheureusement he was not in today, as Debbie informed me. He has a new baby! I could have offered some baby clothing! She is a visual artist, with a winding school trial-and-error story. Reassuring to know I'm not the only one. I snapped a few shots and went along my way. Without buying a cook book this time..
The E-mart I have never gone to
The P.A.T. Mart I always went to! (weekly groceries 주세요)
candy aisle
I've got this P.A.T. Points card. Only thing is, I have no idea how it works, what the points can amount to. And yet faithfully I use it every time. I'm at 250! wow! Wonder what that means!
On my way back I went back to Sarah&Tom to pick up my ugly monster she had set aside (yeah.. I bought it..), and while I was away she had wrapped it all adorbs. She was all adorbs as well :)
Leaving KoreaTown and To the West!
Did I mention it was a hot hot day? 32 degrees precisely.
So when I noticed this person watering their lawn I just had to ask.
She more then gladly hosed me.
When slushies are left out on the sidewalk it takes lots of effort to fight the want to take it. But then again, just look at it. Tell me you don't think its laced with some sort of drug or poison, and I won't believe you.
I'm going to take a guess and say that once read “coffe time”.
This store name has a nice ring to it. Maybe I'll move back and work there when they let me off at my current place of work. (which they have already planned)
got caught taking picture of someone. Woops. I asked him about walking distance to the subway afterwards, and he was quite kind. Looks (not so happy glares in this case) can be deceiving!
Look, a mini-Meagan.
Toronto dogs are allowed on public transit and in many stores and locations. quasiment egale a l'homme là-bas.
A hot day like this, finding solace in some shaded woods was the next goal. HighPark is the most nature like park around. Once you are in the middle, you can't hear any of the city noise, and no city skyline (except for the CN tower) can be seen. I used to have a Cottage in the woods, with the same flora and fauna (add a fox and hare, and remove the dogs), and thus this place always made me feel quite at home in my element. I hang on to the country house of my early early years more vividly then my childhood home in the city.
I had been accumulating these marks on my legs left by my packsac. The metal hardware, when on my lap in heated streetcar rides, seemed to dye my skin. I looked like I had quite a few bruises. It was awkward.
Circled back to Christie Pitts Park (nice name isn't it -_-), and then headed downtown to the pride weekend festivities. Which. Were. Awesome. So much vibrant energy. Church street was closed off and there were succulant looking foods, and booming music, and disco dancing on one stage, and boy-lesque on another. Some people were dressed over the top colourful, some wore body paint, some wore nothing at all.. but hey, if you have the confidence to rock it, go for it!
And I wish I had pictures, but my camera battery chose that moment to die out.
Wish I had longer to stay.
Happy I went though.
Left the bus station at 9pm. 6 hour ride + 1hr getting home from Berri.
That was long and eventful in itself. Home at 4:30am.
Slept.
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