The first thing I remember about Toronto is almost being run over – the roads are crazy! The Green Man flashes but cars still go. After a brief argument with a driver I eventually got to the other side and cried. But anyway...
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and for all you movie buffs out there, Toronto is often used as a set double for New York City because of its close resemblance, creating a much cheaper alternative for producers. So that gives you an idea of what Toronto looks like.
It was another early start and we all set off into the city at around 8am. Nearly everyone else was going up the CN Tower. I wasn’t. I know it ‘dominates the Toronto skyline’ and ‘it’s really bloody good’ but I don’t do views and I was feeling particularly stingy that day, so I wandered off into the city alone.
While searching for an internet café, a young man directed me towards the other end of the street where he said there were lots. We got chatting and he introduced himself as Dana, a gay puppet artist, originally from Vancouver. He was very small with piercing blue eyes, a shaved head and crooked teeth. He wore a burgundy cord jacket with ripped jeans and the huge backpack and guitar he was carrying dwarfed him. I soon learned that Dana had been travelling for 15 years and everything he owned, he was holding. Dana had sold all of his belongings a few years back and had given the money to a poor family in Tanzania. He lived day-to-day, sleeping in squats, hostels and on friends’ sofas. And he seemed really happy.
Now I don’t think I could ever live the same kind of life as Dana, I do at some point want to get my career back on track and have a cute family, but he got me thinking about all the ‘stuff’ in my life. Packed up in boxes in England I have so many useless pairs of shoes, necklaces in every colour, hair products, trinket boxes and old workbooks. I even have a collection of tiny (and very pretty) notepads that are too small to even write anything in! I realised that the only things I actually cared about were my diary and my camera, everything else could be replaced.
It’s actually quite liberating to live out of a backpack. No more, which-shoes-for-this-dress dilemmas because I only have one pair to choose from - and, when it comes down to it, does anyone really care? I’m definitely going to have a clear out when I get back and I will certainly think twice before reaching for that Limited Edition lipgloss in the future.
Anyway, back to Toronto. I met up with the rest of the guys and we spent the day testing out the various parks, wandering around the shops and just soaking in as much of Toronto as possible in the space of one day. It’s kind of like New York, just minus the high blood pressure and the slow-moving tourists on every corner. Personally I appreciated the independent and whacky shops and street art that I found after saying my goodbyes to Dana.
Toronto did not disappoint on the nightlife either. That evening we all piled onto the big yellow ‘Party Bus’ for a pub crawl of Toronto’s hottest night spots. We started the night in a cool little Irish bar where Glenn, one of the Aussies on the tour, did a delightful rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and then we sampled a dingy Rock Bar and a more mainstream club. We had an insane leader who kept screaming, “I LOVE MY LIFE!” and we all chanted along with him while driving home in a drunken stupor. Unfortunately, in the early hours of the next morning we would be losing some of the group, who were off to explore more of Canada. We said our goodbyes in the hotel lobby and went off to bed. It was one of the best nights out I've ever had.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and for all you movie buffs out there, Toronto is often used as a set double for New York City because of its close resemblance, creating a much cheaper alternative for producers. So that gives you an idea of what Toronto looks like.
It was another early start and we all set off into the city at around 8am. Nearly everyone else was going up the CN Tower. I wasn’t. I know it ‘dominates the Toronto skyline’ and ‘it’s really bloody good’ but I don’t do views and I was feeling particularly stingy that day, so I wandered off into the city alone.
While searching for an internet café, a young man directed me towards the other end of the street where he said there were lots. We got chatting and he introduced himself as Dana, a gay puppet artist, originally from Vancouver. He was very small with piercing blue eyes, a shaved head and crooked teeth. He wore a burgundy cord jacket with ripped jeans and the huge backpack and guitar he was carrying dwarfed him. I soon learned that Dana had been travelling for 15 years and everything he owned, he was holding. Dana had sold all of his belongings a few years back and had given the money to a poor family in Tanzania. He lived day-to-day, sleeping in squats, hostels and on friends’ sofas. And he seemed really happy.
Now I don’t think I could ever live the same kind of life as Dana, I do at some point want to get my career back on track and have a cute family, but he got me thinking about all the ‘stuff’ in my life. Packed up in boxes in England I have so many useless pairs of shoes, necklaces in every colour, hair products, trinket boxes and old workbooks. I even have a collection of tiny (and very pretty) notepads that are too small to even write anything in! I realised that the only things I actually cared about were my diary and my camera, everything else could be replaced.
It’s actually quite liberating to live out of a backpack. No more, which-shoes-for-this-dress dilemmas because I only have one pair to choose from - and, when it comes down to it, does anyone really care? I’m definitely going to have a clear out when I get back and I will certainly think twice before reaching for that Limited Edition lipgloss in the future.
Anyway, back to Toronto. I met up with the rest of the guys and we spent the day testing out the various parks, wandering around the shops and just soaking in as much of Toronto as possible in the space of one day. It’s kind of like New York, just minus the high blood pressure and the slow-moving tourists on every corner. Personally I appreciated the independent and whacky shops and street art that I found after saying my goodbyes to Dana.
Toronto did not disappoint on the nightlife either. That evening we all piled onto the big yellow ‘Party Bus’ for a pub crawl of Toronto’s hottest night spots. We started the night in a cool little Irish bar where Glenn, one of the Aussies on the tour, did a delightful rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and then we sampled a dingy Rock Bar and a more mainstream club. We had an insane leader who kept screaming, “I LOVE MY LIFE!” and we all chanted along with him while driving home in a drunken stupor. Unfortunately, in the early hours of the next morning we would be losing some of the group, who were off to explore more of Canada. We said our goodbyes in the hotel lobby and went off to bed. It was one of the best nights out I've ever had.
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