Ontario - Roamancing

A Quick Visit to Toronto for Art and Architecture

June 7, 2013 by Stefanie Bartlett Leave a Comment

Sometimes, last minute travels are the most rewarding. With no time to stress over details, the spontaneity of jumping on a plane without any real plan is liberating.

Last weekend, I was able to go on one of these adventures to Toronto for art and architecture, as well as to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. My mom had made plans to go visit relatives, and asked me if I wanted to come along at the last minute.

It was a lovely few days. One of the most wonderful things about Canada, I think, is its vastness and diversity, and this trip showed me an entirely new region of the country. I will focus on Toronto in this post, and up next, talk about my visit to Niagara!

An interesting mix of architecture on a busy Toronto corner.

I started my trip by spending an afternoon in Toronto. It was my first time in the city, and I can say that it caught me off guard. I am used to big, busy cities, but this felt like a concrete jungle! Still, there were many interesting architectural details and a unique mix of old and new buildings that lent the city both grit and charm.

We stopped by at the Art Gallery of Ontario before dinner. There was the most wonderful sculpture outside.

A very cool sculpture outside the entrance of AGO.

The gallery had an impressive, extensive collection, and I would definitely recommend setting aside a day to tour it if you have the chance. There are a range of exhibitions; cultural and historical exhibits, classic Canadian group of seven collections, modern photography, and even model ships.

Sadly, we only had an hour, but I was able to check out a photographic exhibit of Patti Smith’s polaroid collection, as well as a photographic portrait collection. I was a bit disappointed with Patti Smith’s work, as it seemed to rest on her “star status” more than photographic proficiency. Still, it was interesting.

The portrait collection was impressive though! The exhibit juxtaposed modern portrait photography with early photographs, and it was presented in an interesting, thought provoking way. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed in either exhibit. However, I did manage to snap a picture of this unique architectural detail in the main entrance which was designed by Frank Gehry, a famous Canadian architect who oversaw the redesign of the AGO.

A grand room in the AGO as designed by Frank Gehry.

That was all for my brief stay in Toronto, but it was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Up next, my visit to Niagara!

Filed Under: All Aboard!, Canada, Events, Ontario, Our Travelers, Stefanie Bartlett Tagged With: AGO, architecture, Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario, Patti Smith, Toronto, Toronto architecture

Clouds, Natural Beauty the World Over

August 31, 2012 by Emme Rogers 2 Comments

This week’s #FriFotos reminded me of the beauty created by clouds the world over. In celebration, here are a few moments in my travels from the past year, where the clouds made me smile!

From the Air

Setting my sights on the beautiful blue waters & gentle skies of the Caribbean for the 1st time.

Peeking through the clouds at the Middle East for the first time.

Clouds over Canada

Beautiful in BC

Big Sky Saskatchewan

Cloudy reflections in Ontario’s North.

Elegant over Egypt

Peaceful skies over Egypt

Magnificent skies over the Sphinx.

Colombian Clouds

Bogota Courtyard Clouds

Clouds over Bogota’s Old Town

Filed Under: All Aboard!, Around the World, BC, Canada, Carribean, Colombia, Egypt, Emme Rogers, Middle East, Ontario, Our Travelers, Saskatchewan, South America Tagged With: BC, beautiful clouds, bogota, canada, clouds, cloudy beauty, colombia, Egypt, frifotos, Ontario, Saskatchewan

#FriFotos – Frozen in Time at Bloor-Yorkville’s IceFest

April 13, 2012 by Erica Hargreave 2 Comments

In time for #FriFotos Clock Theme, a moment frozen in time:

Frozen in Time at Bloor-Yorkville's 2012 IceFest

These icy timepieces were snapped amid the impressive ice carvings at Bloor-Yorkville’s 2012 IceFest in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Filed Under: All Aboard!, Around the World, Canada, Erica Hargreave, Events, Ontario, Our Travelers Tagged With: Bloor-Yorkville, Bloor-Yorkville IceFest, canada, frifotos, frozen, frozen in time, ice, ice sculptures, IceFest, Ontario, time, timepiece, Toronto, Yorkville

Reminded to Enjoy Hometown Culture with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

March 12, 2012 by Emme Rogers 13 Comments

I am always amazed as I grow older and return to old stomping grounds, how very fortunate I was to have grown up in a community so rich in the Arts and to have been exposed to so much from such a young age. I have long had this appreciation with the theatre, much of which I attributed to Grandfather and summers on Vancouver Island, but in truth I owe both my parents a big thank you for this too, especially Dad’s yearly Christmas present of taking us and whomever our various significant others were to a musical every year. What I didn’t appreciate quite so much was the great music I’d grown up with, been surrounded by and exposed to, probably as I myself am somewhat limited in my music abilities. It has taken me years to appreciate that my gift with music is the ability to dance to it and not care who’s watching.

As I’ve started to write about musicians I enjoy, it hit me that in Canada, my teenage stomping grounds of Hamilton, Ontario is the birth place of much Canadian musical talent. Why then hadn’t I been aware of this as a teenager? I blamed the fact that I was too young to frequent the drinking holes where these musicians were playing. Instead I use to get taken out to hear classical numbers at Hamilton Place. At least that’s what I blamed for my lack of memory for the incredible musical talent that Hamilton held, until a week ago Saturday, when I found myself once again seated in Hamilton Place, waiting for a night of classical and Celtic music with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Cherish the Ladies.

Must say, was rather pleased with our seats.

As the lights went down and the music began, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of what I heard, and then flooded back the memories of how much incredible talent I had heard in this very space, including The Three Tenors. What amazing talent we had in this auditorium, from the local talent in the Orchestra (including a neighbour, Stefan Kitai, on percussion), to musical and dance talent attracted from other parts of the country, the States and the World. I love it when artists from other places come together to collaborate and create something of beauty together and that is exactly what we we got that night. Locally ~ the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, from Stratford ~ Dan Stacey (fiddler & dancer), from Cape Breton ~ Martin MacDonald (conductor), from the States & the UK ~ Cherish the Ladies ~ Joanie Madden, Mary Coogan, Mirella Murray, Grainne Murphy, Kathleen Boyle & Deirdre Connoll (Celtic Group), and from the States & Australia ~ Hammerstep ~ Garrett Coleman & Jason Oremus (Irish Dancers).

The first Act had me enraptured in the beauty of classical Celtic music of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, that could have brought tears to my eyes were it not for Martin MacDonald having me in stitches of laughter. He probably actually brought tears to my eyes, but for a very different reason. When the intermission hit, I could hardly wait for it to be over and the second Act begin and for Cherish the Ladies to hit the stage.

I must admit, that I was glad that the second Act had such a different tone and style, as it made it hard to compare the two Acts and meant that it didn’t take anything away from the beauty of the first Act. Where in the first Act you were bathed in the gentle beauty of Celtic Music from the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the second Act was a foot stomping good time with Cherish the Ladies, Dan Stacey, Garrett Coleman, Jason Oremus and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, literally. There was a lot of foot stomping on-stage, especially from Dan Stacey, Garrett Coleman & Jason Oremus, and all I wanted to do was hop out of my seat and join them. It certainly didn’t take much to get any of us in the crowd up and out of our seats for a standing ovation, with which we were pleasantly rewarded with an encore. Good thing too, as I was so tempted to yell “Encore, Encore!”, but was wondering if that would have me banned from the auditorium for life, even if this didn’t feel like a piece of stuffy classical music, where one should provide a subdued polite and sophisticated clap.

A wonderful evening and a much needed reminder of all the marvelous cultural experiences we have at home, as well as abroad. What are some of your favourite experiences in your hometown?

Hamilton Vacations

Filed Under: All Aboard!, Around the World, Emme Rogers, Events, Music, Ontario, Our Travelers, Perfect Dates, Roamancing Tagged With: Cherish the Ladies, Dan Stacey, Deirdre Connolly, Garrett Coleman, Grainne Murphy, Hamilton, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Hamilton Place, Jason Oremus, Joanie Madden, Kathleen Boyle, Martin MacDonald, Mary Coogan, Mirella Murray, music, Ontario, Stefan Kitai

#CrossCanada Playlist ~ Ross Neilsen & the Suffering Bastards

November 13, 2011 by Emme Rogers 4 Comments

One of the beauties of driving across the country is all the interesting people you meet along the way. This was certainly the case of my solo drive this Autumn. Seems to me that when you are on your own, you are almost more open to talking to other people and meeting strangers on the road, especially if you are like me and a terrible eavesdropper.

I was having one such moment when I pulled into the tiny Village of Rossport, looking in desperation for a non-fast food chain lunch spot, hypoglycemia rearing it’s ugly head, as it was 3 or 4 in the afternoon and I’d forgotten to eat again. Happened upon a real unexpected find, in the weaving bends of Northern Ontario filled with small diners, fast food chains and truck stops. The find? A whimsical cafe that made me feel like I was on the Gulf Islands, with the work of artists decorating the garden path in the form of pottery, mosaics, and the odd sculpture. Opening the front door, I took note of a poster for a band that was coming to rock the joint and was greeted by the work of local artists adorning the walls. The place? The Serendipity Garden Cafe.

An unexpected cafe of an unexpected meeting.

This was definitely a local hotspot for an evening out, when you wanted something a little classier than the local pub, accompanied by a nice sit down meal. Walking in, you’d expect to find a few locals chatting over a leisurely lunch or coffee, just not at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, when most self respecting people were contemplating what to make for dinner. Instead I found the unexpected. Three dark and mysterious men with scruffy hair and unshaven faces, the kind that you knew were trouble in a very good way, and were out of place in this whimsical little cafe. These were certainly not locals, but rather fellow travelers, like myself. I don’t know why, but I suspected they were musicians from the get go. I even wondered if they were the upcoming act at the Cafe.

So what’s a gal to do, sitting all alone at a table waiting for her meal, but eavesdrop on the conversation of three dark, mysterious and handsome strangers. Clearly the one with the piercing dark and playful eyes was no dummy, as he started to tease me by repeating the dessert menu aloud and glancing mischieviously in my direction. Smart, funny, with that rugged scruffy look of an artist, he had me enraptured. Alas I learnt on-route to the washroom we were passersby in the late afternoon, heading in opposite directions. And no, this wasn’t from eavesdropping. Anyone who starts taunting me with sweets clearly needs to be talked to directly.

I was right. They were musicians ~ Ross Neilsen & the Sufferin’ Bastards (Shawn Worden & Karl Gans) ~ and not only musicians, but Blues Men … mmm, mmm, mmm. The one with the piercingly handsome mischievous eyes being Ross. I may not have got to see them play live that night, as I had to keep driving South East, but they did give me their CD, which kept me wide awake and rocking along as I drove through the worst of moose country that night. Not only did I enjoy the tunes, but they kept me safe and sound on the road. Thank you gentlemen!

Here are a few tunes & other sundries from Ross Neilson & the Sufferin’ Bastards: