The Rideau Canal UNESCO Heritage Site runs from Kingston to Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. It's a well-preserved historic site that people can enjoy year round.
Read more The Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ottawa
The Royal Ontario Museum is Canada’s largest museum. Its collections spotlights art, culture and nature from across the world and the centuries. Located very close to the University of Toronto, its mission is to “transform lives by helping people to understand the past, make sense of the present and come together to shape a shared future.”
Read more The Royal Ontario Museum: understanding the past, making sense of the present
The theme of this post is the underground. It’s a round-up of underground places I’ve visited in different cities. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive guide for obvious reasons, just a fun list of places that may spur you on to visit as well. I don’t know about you but being in enclosed underground…
Barrie is a lovely Victorian town located in central Ontario, Canada, about 90 km (56 mi) north of Toronto. We loved setting out to explore the province of Ontario when we lived in Toronto. I especially loved the gorgeous Victorian downtowns, so pristine and extremely well-kept. Barrie is one of those towns. It was…
Toronto is a vibrant, modern metropolis. But sometimes it’s nice to get away from the hustle and bustle and spend time in a quieter place, like these four historic villages. They are incredibly well-preserved, almost too perfect, but gorgeous. Streetsville, Oakville, Unionville and Thornhill provide a welcome change of pace and a glimpse into Canada’s…
Old Town Toronto began as the Town of York, founded in 1793 as part of the British colony of Upper Canada. The city was incorporated in 1834 and renamed Toronto. The Great Fire of 1849 destroyed most of its wooden buildings, which were replaced by solid brick constructions, mostly Second Empire or Georgian in style.…
The Canadian city of Stratford lies on the River Avon across the ocean from its English sister city, Stratford-upon-Avon. The two-hour drive from Toronto takes you through some really pretty landscape, mainly the Niagara Escarpment. It is especially beautiful in the autumn. European settlers moved to this area in around 1832 when the Canada Company,…
Did you know that American troops invaded Canada once? Yes – well done, you history buff you! No – don’t feel bad, I didn’t know it either. In 1812, the United States and Great Britain went to war. In April 1813, the US Army and Navy attacked York, as Toronto was called then. The outnumbered…
“What do you mean a medieval castle in Toronto?”- You’re entitled to think someone’s pulling your leg. But no, they are not. In fact, there is such a thing in the Annex North neighbourhood: Casa Loma, a medieval inspired castle built in 1911.
The owner, industrialist and financier Sir Henry Pellatt, had his dream home built on a hill overlooking Toronto. It took 300 men almost three years to complete. The house has fantastic views of Toronto skyline. If you go down Spadina (which I recommend so you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the Annex North), you’ll walk into the Baldwin steps surrounded by a beautiful garden. Go up to find Casa Loma.
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Toronto skyline[/caption]
I loved the idea of visiting such a lovely house; however, it didn’t feel like a home. To make matters worse, it was rather warm that day and there were lots of school children visiting. As there is no air conditioning, they placed huge fans everywhere, which recirculated the warm air. Despite all that, I did enjoy the visit.
Sir Henry and Lady Mary, his wife, lived in Casa Loma for about ten years until financial troubles caused by ill-advised investments and the First World War caused them to give it up and move to their farm. The City of Toronto owns the property.
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Lady Mary's suite[/caption]
The main floor comprises the medieval-looking Great Hall, the library, the dining room, the conservatory, Sir Henry’s study and the billiards and smoking rooms. The second floor contains guest rooms; and Sir Henry’s and Lady Mary’s suites (hers was my favourite). The servants’ quarters (for 40 people!) are on the third floor.
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Lovely sitting room[/caption]
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Garden feature[/caption]
Address: One Austin Terrace, Toronto M5R 1X8
Directions (from Casa Loma website)
Go to Dupont station (located two stops north of St. George station on the Spadina- University line) and walk north two blocks on Spadina Ave. At this point, visitors have the option of climbing the Baldwin Steps (110 steps) at Spadina Ave. and Davenport Road or walking up the hill on the west side of the castle.
Go to Spadina station and take the Davenport 127 bus to Davenport & Spadina. Get off the bus and climb the Baldwin steps (110 steps ), or take the bus one stop further to Davenport and Walmer and walk up the hill on the west side of the castle.
Go to St. Clair West station on the Spadina-University line, walk east on St. Clair to Spadina, turn right (south) and keep walking (approximately 15 minutes) to the castle.
Go to St. Clair station on the Yonge line. Take the St. Clair streetcar (going West) to Spadina Road, get off and walk south on Spadina Road (approximate 10 minute walk) to Casa Loma.
I visited Casa Loma when we were still living in Toronto back in 20101 (when I had short hair!). I didn’t have a blog then so I’m making up for it now!
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# Permanent link to Casa Loma, a medieval castle in… Toronto!I love these powder blue sofas[/caption]
Canada’s Parliament is an iconic set of buildings located on top of Parliament Hill. This limestone cliff slopes gently towards Ottawa River in the country’s capital, Ottawa. When Ottawa was declared the new capital of the United Province of Canada in 1858, a parliament building was needed to house the legislature. Thus, architects were hired,…
