Many memories were made and hijinks happened here

DAY 9 AND 10 - 

I'd been adoring my time in Toronto aside from not being able to find the star for Michael Buble on Canada's Walk of Fame. That may be as he had only been newly inducted 2 weeks before I searched in vain. Rats! Ah well, I did lay my hands upon the sidewalk, maple-leaf shaped stars for Shania Twain, Ryan Reynolds and Jim Carrey. 

THERE CAN NEVER BE ENOUGH CRONUTS -  Since receiving my first taster of the donut and croissant lovechild here in Ontario, my love for the geniosity of chocolate cronuts is immeasurable. As I'm an avid believer that there are no accidents in life and I wasn't looking for it; this meet cute between us was unmitigated and fated. 

In anticipation of our China trip coming up in April for Jamie's wedding, I thought it would be wise to prepare my taste buds in anticipation. This happened at China Town's Celebrity Hotpot, where I was literally the only person in the entire restaurant - which is NEVER  a reassuring indicator of quality food. 

I didn't understand the process and so I slurped up the tasteless broth before it even boiled on the hob before me, until the waitress put a stop to my stupidity!! More and more ingredients were continually added to the mixture which made it splash over the brim. As instructed, I obtained bottles of soy sauce, sesame oil and a spicy chilli to add some taste for dipping my meat and noodles into. It was all-you-can-eat and so it didn't take long for me to be stuffed full; it was time to put a stop to the madness when I started to feel sick. So I lugged myself and my hot pot baby back to the Backpackers, to pack and chillax. 

A LOVELY EVENING WAS SPENT TOGETHER - Lots of giggles were also shared with Lilla at Fresh (on Bloor). It's a hipster dive, vegan chain where all the awesome ones eat. I was still rather satiated from my lunch before but because it all smelt so amazing, I had to tuck into something substantial again. I had the small energy fresh bowl on rice which consisted of - marinated tofu chunks, rich coconut curry sauce, chickpea and vegetable stew, cucumber, tomato, red onion, sunflower sprouts and tahini sauce. Undoubtedly, this spicy, ricey, nicey meal will turn me into a chubster of the highest order! Why did I like it so much? Cos everything about it was so gorgeous! 

It was great to catch up with Lilla after all these years and she very kindly paid for our dinners. Considering how we'd last seen each other 8 or so years ago and only knew each other when I was a temp worker with her for a few weeks, we didn't run out of conversation once! We moved on to Second Cup, an alternative coffee chain to Starbucks and I treated us this time. My vanilla bean hot chocolate was startlingly sweet but a dreamy cuppa. I'm so thankful to Lilla for acquiescing to meet up with me; it was a nice way to spend my final night in Toronto in such good company. 

Grudgingly, the time came to check out and my back was strained in the process of dragging my case and hefty hand luggage, down the rickety stairs to the basement. As I was approaching Graffiti Alley, thus far I wasn't impressed with the psychedelic spray art but continuing on further I got to the best bits. Every wall became weirder but also more wonderful. 

UP TO MY CHIN IN CHRISTMAS - The cute stalls and elves and festive seasons greetings lights all encapsulated the merry magic at the historic Distillery District's Christmas Market. Who stands underneath the 14ft steel heart, 'Under the Mistletoe' sculpture on their lonesome? Awkward. That would be one such as I, for I hadn't had a winter fling in which to revel in this romantic tradition. Still, at least the 52ft imposing Norway Spruce, Christmas tree was extra pretty with all its trimmings, despite the heavens having opened. I've always been a cheeseball for Christmas so it was a must to attend especially since this is ranked as one of the top 10 Holiday markets world-wide. 

The Candy Cane Carollers infused me with the Christmas spirit as they sang cheery, acapella renditions of beloved carols a la Pentatonix, in the rain. I did feel for them that not many were feeling them a whole bunch, not stopping to watch because of the worsening weather conditions. And so I clapped to the utmost - alas, it was not audible as we all wore gloves/mittens muffling our appreciation. I had to sit on a carrier bag, with my fur hood up looking like such a dork in order to enjoy their musical interlude as the chairs were soaked through. 

Goodness gracious, solo dining makes me look like the lamest lady in the land, but needs must. I give my Gabby's luncheon a C minus for the tastiness of my grilled chicken ciabatta with salad and fries and also for the snail-slow service. 

IT'S BEEN QUITE THE WHIRLWIND OF A WEEK - It did my heart well to spend these days in the T Dot so it was sad to leave the city behind. I want every man, woman and frog to know how outrageously terrific this multi-cultural city is. My shiny, happy Toronto bubble has now burst *sobs*; I've loved it here so it was difficult to heave myself away. Thank you Toronto, you have certainly put the icing back on my slightly smooshed cupcake of life. 

Elizabeth picked me up from the bus station when I arrived in Ottawa, six hours and 45 minutes later. It was so wonderful to be reunited with her after the best part of 8 years since our college days. In a series of amazing nights, another excellent one was enjoyed catching up with her and reminiscing of all our BYU-I nostalgia.

My big, fat 30th in ALL its craziness :D

DAY 8 

BOOYAH! It's my birthday, Imma spend my money!!! Pathetically, I'd been dreading turning the ripe, old age of 30 and wasn't feeling too gleeful about it coming round whatsoever. I guess how I celebrated didn't matter as the entire trip was for my big, fat 30th and I'm YOLO-ing each and every day :D Congratulations to me! Thanks f & f for waking me with tons of merry bday messages, early Canadian time due to the 5 hour time difference. I was feeling the love across the ocean and Lake Ontario very much <3 

WHAT I WISH FOR THE YEAR AHEAD - To be flirty and thriving, to grow up (as I'm more 30 going on 13!) and to go forth and make better decisions in all aspects of life. I don't exactly look better than a monthful of Sundays; when I'd envisioned I'd be a glam sophisticate at this age. 

The birthday antics began by going to my happy place of brunching at Cafe Crepe avec Sophie. I lack the adjectives to adequately express just how mindblowingly delicious my Nutella hot chocolate was. But given that I'm a cochon, Icould get through a trough of that stuff! My fairytale crepe of nutella, strawberries, cinnamon, coconut and whipped cream made magic happen on my plate. They'll do it for you too when you have a chronic case of the munchies. As we all know calories don't count according to birthday gospel, right? Right on! Shoulda played the birthday card to score a freebie! 

Shopping til I'm droppin' is one of the areas I fail as a lady but I gave it a good go at The Eaton Centre. Normally, I find it a huge, dumb waste of time as I prefer to do so online in my PJ's from the comfort of my own home. I picked up 3 bargains at Aeropostale: 2x sparkly snug snits and a navy, floral lace dress. It became too hot in the mall so I had to peruse garments without my hefty coat. Getting new clothes is lovely.. no one's disputing that but I can't put up with my own indecision all day long. 

CABBAGE TOWN IS PONGY! - When I could participate in the circus of purchase no longer, I hi-tailed it up to Riverdale, sitting in the park to catch a breather whilst inhaling the 'fragrant' scents of manure. The man who instructed me to sniff out the farm was not kidding one little bit! Riverdale Farm is a historic, working farm beside the park with free admission which is always a bonus. Could the tranquillity within the 7,5 scenic acres be any more wonderful?  

All the animals are so furry and soft and cuuuuuute in particular the sheep, donkeys and horses which were lovable as hell. Old MacDonald would be in his element embracing each and every creature  EE I EE I O!!! These chickens in the poultry barn, got swag! Babe charges at Porky like a pig possessed, presumably squabbling over food in piggy speak "OI. OINK. Just let me eat this disgusting slop and swill!" <------ These silly thoughts in my head are what make me S.O.L (snort out loud) quite like the cerdos. 

Just for a lark I had the novelty snapshot at Nathan Phillips Square with the polychromatic Toronto sign. 

MY FATNESS PERSISTS - Sophie accompanied me to dine at Fusaro's as I had a craving for pasta. My chicken parmigiana with pomodoro pasta and salad was neither exceptional nor hell. For it to merit a 10/10 it would simply have to be cooked by an authentic Italian but there was still enjoyment to be had within my belly nonetheless. 

Judith, Sophie and two other 18 year old Germans obliged me in birthday celebrating. How sweet that they're so young and happy but came to hang out with the old spinster!! I'd been itching to go to Chill Ice House; supposedly the world's largest (it didn't seem too big inside) permanent ice house at a nippy -5 degree Celsius. All hail the birthday Eskimo Ice Princess in her regal cape and gloves to bear the sub-zero temps; PULLING... IT .. OFF in her throne of glacier. 

It is the *coolest* night out and I loved it TOO much!! Every intricate detail including even the curtains and the bar itself was made of ice so everything is a tad chilly when you and your crew come to chill at Chill. I'm told that the room took 3 weeks to carve and that every block of the ice wall needs 2.5 days to freeze and weighs in at 250lbs!! Painstakingly, precise ice sculptures of The CN Tower and The Statue of Liberty etc. beautify the bar. At one point my jeans froze to the ice sofa in the private alcove! 

THE HOT BARTENDER IN THE FROZEN WONDERLAND - Why couldn't he, with his perfect little face and Mcdreamized head of hair, be giftwrapped to me as a birthday present? Gosh darn, all the girls were in agreement that he's a smokin' BABE! So it wasn't a wonder that the non-alcoholic berry shot he presented me in an ice glass began to melt so rapidly, in the presence of his hotness. The speakeasy through the ice house was so warm to thaw out in. My only regret is not getting the babe to bring me sugar with chocolate fondue and other dunkable yummies. 

Since the group joined me out of the kindness of their heart and I was grateful not to be a loner; I paid for us all to have a table at Spin, the ping pong bar. We played around the world style - where you hit and run to the next place on the table; as there were 5 of us and one too many for a doubles match. Admittedly, I was atrociously awful and kept missing most shots as I whacked the ball too aggressively. It was possibly the worst/best game of table tennis everrrr played, what with me whalloping a random lad on his head, Janis in the face and returning a shot which landed on another table altogether but they continued the play. Such fun and I took home one of the ping pongs as a birthday memento. 

PHILOSOPHICAL MUSINGS - My twenties are no more and I'm now over 1/3 of the way through my life (most likely); I begin a new, glitzy, joyous chapter (here's hoping!!) to embark on this momentous step forward into more 'mature' adulthood. Pleeeeeease may I not be single this entire year and find myself a pretty love?  xx

Well I'm the luckiest girl in Ontario!

DAYS 6 AND 7: 

I SURE DO LOVE MR TIM HORTON - I want to personally thank thee kind sir for your invaluable contributions to Canada. Your glazed donuts do make for an irresistibly naughty breakfast and those Timbits are loved by all, to itty, Timbitty pieces. The gingerbread donut, is another hole in one for Timmy H; who has me hooked on innumerable tasty pastries. 

Nothing took my fancy at all after having a gander from end to end of St Lawrences Market in the Old Town; I came away empty handed. Though I was shanghaied by a Scotsman for dosh; the old chap (who now has made Toronto his home) implored me for money as he hadn't eaten for 2 days. After I gave him a few dollar bills, he sat beside me for the next 20 minutes and proceeded to make me nervous with talk of the war on the world. I became a tad anxious in his presence so made my excuses and 'escaped' as soon as it was polite to. 

Street cars are the coolest. Of course, me being me, I often got on one in the opposite direction to get to where I should have been heading. This day was no exception and it was quite the struggle to pinpoint the beach I had set my sights on. To become closer to my target, it was necessary to seek in depth orientation at several establishments. Before submitting, I'd walked as far towards it as I could before my map ended and the streets were no longer appearing on it. 

VERY BERRY GOOD - Cherry Street Restaurant was a cute find; where I sloppily chowed my laughing gear around my cherry BLT and fries, for my first taste of Canadian bacon. I'm not normally a pig eater (only a piggy of an eater!) so oddly, I was seriously impressed to identify this as the perfect, toasted and cheese-less sandwich for me. 

Cherry Beach Park streams out to the colossal Lake Ontario. It is rocky, unpolished and not nearly as pretty as other beaches of the globe but I felt at peace here. I whiled away some time just scoping out the kitesurfers and shivering. The temperature had dipped to a temperate 7 degrees but it was the wind chill that was biting. Inhaling my lungs full of fresh air breathed new life into me. 

Following that, I granted the CN Tower with my attendance. It was the world's tallest, free standing structure at 1815 ft and 5" and is classified as one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. It also happens to be the tallest lightning rod on earth b-t-dubs.. at least it was until 2010.. this coveted title has now been claimed by Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Thus, I went up safe in the knowledge it is just 4th/5th/6th/7th in the might-be-struck-by-lightning stakes and it didn't suck. 

DAMN RIGHT, WOW! - As sunset beckoned, I procured a place to watch with wonder. I can't have been the only person having trouble believing their eyes at the shining, shimmering, splendid sights below. Yes, those are lyrics from Aladdin, you're welcome! 

I'm not in the habit of doing anything anything I consider remotely risky (unless biscuits are involved!) so I must have had a moment of INSANITY to lay on the glass floor. Don't worry, my loves as there is NO earthly way humans can be hurt in doing so.. at least not badly... *if* the glass is secure and doesn't crack hurtling you 342 metres directly down to certain death. The thermal glass floor is 64mm thick and load tests are performed annually to ensure safety. It can impressively withstand the weight of 35x moose as the glass is 5x stronger than the requirement for commercial flooring. 

A BEVERAGE WITH A VIEW AND A HALF - And what an awfully fancy one it was for a hot choc with a dollop of whipped cream, at Horizons. It mightn't have been under the stars or arm in arm with the guy of my dreams but my solitary happiness in these moments, doesn't depend on a man. It was a great hot chocolate! 

One of the best aspects of travel is enjoying the compelling stories shared by the other hostellers. Shout outs for these go out to Judi, Nick and Sophie.

Friends, I'm not even ashamed to say that I was back on the hot chocolate only the following morning, paying a visit to Soma Chocolate Maker. Their Spicy Mayan artisan cacoa was a mug of magic. Every flavourful sip of melty, ancient Mayan elixir is seventh heaven and that's due to the distillation of chilli pepper, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, Madagascan vanilla and SOMA's secret spices. The kick will set your taste buds ablaze intimately and inimitably, plus the decorative foamy heart atop gives it that final, special something. SOMA is the perfect venue for any cause of celebration. It is impossible for me to be objective about calorie consumption when it is everything I now hold sacred. 

BELLY BUSTERS = BAD -  BB is an UNSATISFYING Subways imposter!!!!! Mine had hair in it and was sprinkled with pepper instead of including the bell peppers I'd requested. They have a way of ruining what could have been a superbly, lip-smacking sarny! Dodge this bullet. 

Sophie and I perused the free 'library' under the underpass at Lower Simcoe and Front Streets. It was started by a happy, homeless man; what a NOVEL idea! I captured the Canadian flag, to take away as a souvenir of my stay. 

The ferry which ships tourists across to the cluster of Toronto Islands will only set you back $7.50 for a return. Remember the operating hours are reduced in the winter months (beginning October 13th) Just a short trip of 10-15 minutes and it's cool to stand up on the outer deck and watch as you dart closer or further away to/from the isles. Centre, Ward, Snake etc. started life as sand dunes which constantly shifted and that mixed with eroded stone to create what is seen today. 

I'M AT ONE WITH TORONTO - Wandered Ward Island knowing that any attractions to speak of were closed down; we were alright with that having come purely for the night's skyline. Mostly, it looked as though we were the only ones amidst the community of 150 or so residences on this island. There were other signs of civilisation: frisbee golf course, fire station, school children and cute homes but it looked to be so remote. It was searching for an open public toilet which was like finding a needle in a wildernessy haystack. 

Someday, we'll laugh about the rain but it hecka bucketed down upon us. All we found in the way of shelter was a tiny bus shelter to block some of the insane rain; we were already drenched by this point. I should not have been enjoying the downpour but somehow I did. Anyways, it was the provider of an energising respite from the urban provincial capital of Ontario. 

There's always something so romantic about seeing the horizon and the glow stick that is the CN Tower, from afar. Toronto's panorama is worthy of postcards. It glowed. It twinkled. It took our breath away. Clocking the backdrop of down town at dusk from one of the vantage spots on the coast during a clear eve deserves a standing ovation. My moronic picture-taking resulted in blurries sans a tri pod but clicking away repeatedly, as I did.. eventually I got the knack and captured some stonkers! 

HAUL YOUR BEHINDS TO THE ROCK N HORSE SALOON, Y'ALL - After suppering at The Loose Moose then showering and changing into warm, dry clothes Sophie and I went to hear the country music karaoke, with no intention of singing ourselves. This was my last hurrah as a 29 year old woman before I have to try and stay out of trouble in my dirty thirties. Naturally Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown band and Blake Shelton were sung; all of whom I do not just love LOVE, I adore. They're my peeps! Country music is barely popular at all in the UK which is sad for me as I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why we can't all just love it??

The honktonk was not busy in the least but was a rootin' tootin' good time all the same. Being of a non-alcoholic persuasion, I drank my way through a lime slushie in a bucket bigger than my head which got me magnificently, mythologically hyper. The sing song and sugar was the perfect ending to an excellent day! Now I'm just crossing all crossable body bits that I'll not have a serious 1/3 of my life crisis in my 30th year. That.. and wishing it might be the term of Rianne's reign where I find the man who wants to wed me :D