Wandering through Toronto

​What a day we had! We took the GO Train into Union Square, the heart of downtown Toronto. It was so nice not having to worry about where to park the car, as that is nearly impossible to do without knowing the in’s-and-out’s of Toronto. So being free of that burden, off we went. 

Awaking to a torrential rain that continued on the very warm and steamy train (no AC 😬)…

…with a very friendly, young lady living in Canada, but originally from the Philippines 🤗. 

We had picked up rain ponchos and umbrellas just before leaving Oakville  at our local Dollarama (😆), which brought back memories from our Croatia adventure 👏👏😂😂!

And so, protected somewhat from the inclement weather, we set off for ‘Taste of India’, an annual Indian event held in Toronto. 

BUT! Along the way we stumbled onto an active MOVIE SET😂😂😂😂! With filming on pause while the rain fell. 

The movie is ‘The Bella Jar’, written by an author both Kelly AND Daniel (son) are familiar with (Daniel more-so for her books of poetry). It was so fun to watch for a time, and to see the beautiful, vintage cars! 

Then off to ‘India’ we went! The festival was late in getting started, but the rain did eventually stop👏👏.  For the most part, we were the only non-Indian visitors 😂. 

Nicest people thus far in Ontario! 

Dumpling steamer 😊

A fun, interesting and tasty start to our day! 

And in our wandering…

Turkish bakery stop for coffee and a Turkish pretzel 😊.

The plaque reads ‘An Immigrant Family’, with their name.

Canada loves their hockey 😊!

The old city hall 😊.

So much fun yesterday! We laugh, because we’ve packed so much into such a short time!  

The cultural differences are a bit distressing, as we have so little exposure to Easter Indians and Asians in Montana. They come across as rude, impulsive and inconsiderate, but that has GOT to stem from coming from such heavily populated countries. An example…I was ordering a specialty beverage yesterday at the festival. While I was paying, a woman approached from my left. Always being in a state of ‘situational awareness’, I knew she was getting closer to me, but I refused to budge. This was about the fourth time this had happened, but each time I had stepped out of the way.  Now, I was mostly just curious as to how far she would go if I didn’t move. This was the picture I took, because she literally stepped in front of me, before my transaction had even finished!😱

The man delivering my beverage, had to reach around her so I could retrieve it.

It brought to mind the time I was returning from Okinawa. I made a stop for a week in Hawaii to visit our old friends, and when we boarded the plane, we had to take a shuttle to get to the concourse. I was instantly surrounded and overwhelmed by the massive people making their way to the bus. Before I knew it, I felt arms, taking hold of the stroller, the diaper bag, and my elbow. A gentleman said, “These people are like animals. I’m going to get you through.”  And he did. 😊

I have to remember this is a cultural difference, and be grateful at the same time that I do not come from a country that has several  million people living in a small amount of square miles! 🙏

Today we will check out of the walk-in cooler and head to Toronto 😊. The GO train is so efficient, we’ve decided to find a station and then just leave the car in their covered parking garage! It doesn’t cost anything if you pay the $10.00 ($7.40 U.S.!), day long, train fare 😊. A heck of a bargain!

P. S. This security guard at the festival…NOT situationally aware!