A wander around Toronto, Ontario

My poor, poor feet. Not only have I abused them by walking 36,500 steps exploring Toronto, but I have now put them in something I swore they would never enter. Desperate times come for desperate measures I guess and although I was a firm nay sayer for many years, I finally caved. I did it. I bought myself a pair of Crocs.

After a week of wearing these babies, my feet have never been more comfortable. I can honestly say I am now a proud converter and take back any negative comments ever made about the shoes. Don’t judge a book by its cover (or foot by its shoe?), I am recommending these to everyone. Crocs on, let me tell you about our day trip to the exciting city of Toronto.

Our first stop was the Half House, another fantastic find on Atlas of the Obscure (not an affiliate link, I genuinely love this site). Originally a whole house and in a row of six identical others, number 54 1/2 dates back to the early 1890s. Over time the other houses were sold and unfortunately demolished however, the owner of 54 1/2 refused. Despite getting over 300 offers in one year, the answer was always a firm no. After the other half of the house was sold, the careful operation of splitting the house began. One wrong move and the whole house could of came tumbling down, the precision involved in this makes me sweat just thinking about it.

To me this house is a brilliant metaphor of standing up and saying no, even if it does tear you in half!

With temperatures in the 30s, we made a beeline to the Eaton centre in search of Mitch’s old workplace and for some air con. Mitch lived in Canada for two years in his early twenties so this was a great trip down memory lane for him, and for me as I could now see the places he has been raving about.

Being in Canada, I had to try the infamous poutine. For those of you who don’t know, this is Canada’s signature dish which is composed of a layer of chips (or French fries I should say), cheese curds and gravy with an optional meat. I don’t do well with dairy and I don’t eat much meat so finding a vegan poutine was great for me as I still got to try it!

Although this dish may look questionable, it was delicious. A perfect comfort food and very filling. I will definitely be getting this again, perhaps when the weather is a bit cooler though.

With a little help, I ate my poutine by the adorable dog fountain in Berczy Park. It was a great spot to eat and people watch. This fountain is a tribute to the four legged visitors to the park. All dogs have their eyes gleefully fixed on the bone on the top layer of the fountain. If you look closely though, you will see one four legged friend is not spurting water and not a dog. They have their gaze fixed on a bird sculpture opposite the fountain.

We then made our way to Victoria Market, for a turkey bacon club for Mitch from Paddington’s. We had a wonder around the market but the heat was too much so we moved on. I think poor Paddington was struggling as much as I was.

We cooled down with an iced coffee and went for a walk around the waterfront and eventually to the CN Tower. We did plan to get the ferry to the island, but after walking past least 200 people in que, we decided that was something for the next time list.

The CN Tower was named one of the seven modern wonders of the world in 1995 and surprisingly is only 46 years old. The tower was completed in 1976 and stands proudly above Toronto at 1,815.3 ft. This iconic landmark is not only a signature of the city’s identity, it’s a great reference point for when you’re trying to get your bearings and work out where you’re going. I tell you this from experience!

After a full day of exploring, we dragged our feet onto the subway and back to the car. I think Mitch and I probably covered about 10% of the city so you can be sure that we will be returning in the near future. Hopefully next time overnight so that we can see the beautiful skyline lit up.