Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far! Here's another look at the Christmas Market in the Distillery District. I love all the lights at night. For now, I'll be posting pictures from Berlin on my travel blog. Come take a look.

Warm-up market

I went to the Christmas market in the Distillery District of Toronto this past weekend. I must say it was slightly better than last year, but still nothing compared to the markets of Europe (and Germany especially!). So that's why I'm considering it as a warm-up for the Christmas markets in Berlin that I'll be visiting soon. I'll be flying out this afternoon, but I've put up a few automatic posts for while I'm gone. Hope you enjoy!

Princely hotel

We're taking another look at Niagara-on-the-Lake today. I love the facade of the Prince of Wales Hotel, maybe one of these days I'll have to go in and see if the lobby is as ornate. Until then, enjoy this view! For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

The apothecary

Who can resist a bright red door like this one? It's so bright and welcoming. You'll find the old apothecary in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was the town's first pharmacy and now is open as a museum honoring those "old days". If you like seeing red, head over to Ruby Tuesday.

On a wire

I found this cute little mural in a laneway in the Bloor and Bathurst area. I just love the faces on those birds - adorable! And the little boy or girl is pretty cute too. Hope this mural brings a smile to your face like it did to mine. Happy Monday - it's my last working one until the holidays. For more murals, head to Monday Mural.

Fancy reflections

A street scene in downtown Toronto as reflected in one of the many fancy cars you see zipping around. Hope your weekend has been a good one! For more reflections, take a look at Weekend Reflections.

Silhouettes

I saw this tree and just loved the shape of it, a wonderful symmetry! And it looks especially nice silhouetted against the pinkish-blue sky of early evening. The weekend is finally here and since I've gotten almost all of my shopping done, I won't be spending it at the mall. Hope you've got some good plans to relax and have fun too. For more skies, take a look at Skywatch.

Downtown details

Here's another beautiful example of great architectural details on one of the old banks downtown. They just don't make them like that anymore!

Old inside the new

It's back to Brookfield Place! Although this may look like any building you'd see out on the street, this is only a facade that was moved into the centre when it was. This is maybe one of the few cases where the city has actually done a good job preserving its history. This particular building was once the Midland Commercial Bank, and now it provides a nice contrast to the new glass and steel portion of Brookfield Place. For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Red brick facade

Behind the door of this red brick facade lies The National Club of Toronto. If serves as a watering hole for the city's elite. Not being rich or a high-ranking politician, I'll probably never cross this building's threshold. I'll just admire this place from outside - I don't think I'd really want to be a member at a place like this anyway. For more red, head to Ruby Tuesday.

Wall of pride

You'll find this mural inside Brookfield Place in downtown Toronto. It depicts different aspects of Canadian business over the year. I definitely like the retro feel and all the color. Canadians have a lot to be proud of! Fore more murals, take a look at Monday Murals.

Camoflage bench

This bench really blends in well with its surroundings! Perhaps only people wearing green sweaters are allowed to sit there? I found this one in the cute town of Niagara on the Lake. Hope your weekend is going well, why do they have to seem so short compared to the work week though?

TD reflections

The TD Dominion building was designed by famed German architect, Mies van der Rohe. I love his work and this complex of buildings is no exception. He was a stickler for details, down to the electrical outlets and flower bowls! If you're downtown, it's worth a look inside the bank's lobby to take a look at those details. For more reflections, take a look at Weekend Reflections.

The blue hour

The blue hour is that time in the evening when it's not quite light and not quite dark. And this blue hour was made even better with a lovely tree lit up for the holiday season. Hope the weekend ahead is looking good for you. For more skies, take a look at Skywatch.

Fifty years of Bond style

As promised, here's a look at some of the items that were on display at the TIFF. Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures in all parts of the exhibit but I hope you'll enjoy this sampling! Even though I'm not really a Bond buff, it was really quite interesting to see all the props and costumes from the movie.

Stylish sign

This past weekend I went to see the James Bond exhibit celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the film franchise at the TIFF downtown. It was quite an interesting display of props and costumes from the various films. My favorite part was definitely the dresses the Bond Girls wore through the years while my husband was more into all the gadgets provided by Q.

For people with more free time on their hands, you could even watch the latest Bond film right at the TIFF. I have never seen a movie in one of their theaters, but they must be nice as they host the Toronto International Film Festival every year. Maybe another time! I'll show you a bit of the exhibit tomorrow. Until then, you can see more signs at Signs, Signs.

Autumn turns to winter

The bright oranges and reds of fall are turning to the browns of winter. I find there's beauty in every season, although the cold of winter makes it my least favorite!

Cute couple

The art students at Central Technical School must be a busy bunch. There are murals of some sort or other covering almost every paintable surface in the building. This one makes me think of a typical cute Canadian couple starting their life out together with their first car. What do you think? For more murals, take a look at Mural Monday.

December theme day: My street

For December's theme, I've chosen to show you a street that feels like mine since I drive on it every day to and from work. Highway 401 is the major road through Toronto and North America's busiest highway. Although I don't actually live on the 401, with the traffic some days (especially when there are problems like this car fire) it sometimes feels like I do! 

For a look at other interpretations of today's theme, take a look at the CDP homepage. Happy December everyone!

Looking up for art deco

It always pays to look up! Otherwise I might have missed these wonderful lampposts and the detail on that building. Hope you're got a wonderful weekend ahead of you - it's starting to get cold in Canada. I think a cozy weekend bundled up at home is in order! For more skies, take a look at Skywatch.

Canada Permanent details

Here's a look at the details of the entrance to the Canada Permanent building. It's beautiful!

Art deco bank

The Canada Permanent Building is a beautiful example of Art Deco architecture. Unfortunately we couldn't go into the lobby of this bank for better pictures. But I got a sneaky photo from the outside looking in - enjoy! For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Victory in black and white

More art deco details on the Victory Building. I love the simplicity of art deco, and those wonderful designs on the windows lend themselves well to black and white.

Past, present, future

I found this mural depicting Toronto (and other cities) through the ages inside the Sterling Tower. I love the mix of old-timey and modern mixed together here - especially the satellites in the sky! This mural was part of the Art Deco tour I recently took part in, unfortunately I don't remember all the history behind this work of art, but it's pretty special. For more murals, take a look at Monday Mural.

Details in relief

I recently did a walking tour of downtown Toronto which focused on art and architecture from the art deco period. The old Bank of Nova Scotia building on King Street is a beautiful example of the period which luckily has been preserved. Each of these reliefs depicts a mythological character. So many of Toronto's historic buildings have been torn down to make way for newer and modern structures, but I'm glad this one and others were saved. I'll have more from the tour for you this week.

Reflecting at sunset

This beautiful scene comes to you from the G. Ross Lord Park which is near my home in Toronto. The water you see here is overflow from the Don River, there is actually a dam in the distance that I wanted to visit, but I couldn't figure out how to access it through the trails. Maybe next time. Until then, you can enjoy this reflection and others at Weekend Reflections.

Serene scene

A beautiful fall scene on the waterfront. Hope you have something great planned for this weekend! I'm glad Friday is finally here. For more skies, take a look at Skywatch.

That guy: part two

As promised, here's another look at That Guy. You'll find him on Cumberland Street, near the Yorkville shopping area. I scoured the internet and found a little more information about him and his creator, artist William McElcheran. Apparently, "that guy" is also known as "the businessman"; you can find different incarnations of him in cities around Canada and even the world! I'd love to see his incarnation in Pisa, I wonder if VP could be persuaded to venture over there and show us a shot?

PS: Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. Eat some stuffing for me!

Flying high

You can find a Sheraton in almost any big city. I liked the way this sign looked with the flags flying above it though - it made the sign a bit more special. From left to right you have the Canadian flag, the American flag, the flag of Ontario and I am guessing that the blue one is the Sheraton's brand flag. For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

That guy

I thought I had shown you this guy before in another location, but I can't seem to find it! In any case, apparently you can find him at a few different places around the city. This sighting was at the Brookfield Place in downtown Toronto.

TRANSAC

You'll find the Toronto Australia New Zealand  Club near the intersection of Bathurst and Bloor. Their mission is to promote music and the arts within the community. This location is mainly home to community theater performances and local musical acts, but they'll rent out the space to anyone with a cause and the money. I found the mural on the backside of the building interesting and colorful. For more murals, check out the Monday Mural blog.

Old reflected in the new

I'm not sure what the name of this glass building is, but you'll find it on the corner on Queen and James downtown. It's in one of the few areas of Toronto where the older architecture has survived. Hope you're having a fantastic weekend! For more reflections, take a look at Weekend Reflections.

Last round

I had to get in one last shot of the golf course where I played my last round of the Canadian season. The fall colors were fantastic back in late October. The temps were pretty warm for that time of year, some brave fellows were even out in shorts - not me though! 

 

Happy Friday! Hope you have big plans for this weekend. For more skies, take a look at Skywatch.

Crying out!

For crying out loud, can't you tone it down? These birds can sure make some noise. But I liked the way this looks in black and white. Hope you do too!

Museum station: Take two!

Here's another look at Museum Station. It really is special, especially compared to some of the other stations. For more signs, look at Signs, Signs.

Shiny maples

Another look at Pardes Shalom. I love those beautiful red maples. Glad I caught them before all the color blew away! For more reds, head over to Ruby Tuesday.

Diving in with your whole heart

I found this mural at Central Technical School. I'm thinking it's a message to dive into the things you love with your whole heart. I'm starting a new job today and I hope to make a splash! For more murals, take a look at Monday Murals.

Shady spot

One of the nice things about Pardes Shalom is that there were plenty of benches for people to sit and remember their loved ones. This one had just the right amount of shade and sun for an autumn day. Don't forget to remember those who have fallen for our freedom on this Remembrance Day. And you can see more shadows at Shadow Shot Sunday.

Tranquility

A serene scene from the golf course. This photo was taken on October 21st and sadly, I think it was my last round of golf (in Canada anyway) for the season. Guess I'll have to spend some time swinging in one of those golf bubbles this winter.

Autumnal color

Unfortunately Sandy's winds and rain knocked shortened our fall season a bit. I'm glad I got a few shots of the changing trees before they turned bare. It's been another gray week in Toronto, hope we get a smattering of sunshine soon! Until then, I'll enjoy me archives. For more skies, visit Skywatch.

Looking out on a gray day

A view from one of the windows at Central Technical School in Toronto. I am beginning to wonder if we will ever see blue skies again. Although I like monochrome for photos, all this gray is getting me down.

Note to Bubbe

I found this sweet note to someone's grandmother on one of the graves at Pardes Shalom. There's no doubt in my mind that this Bubbe both gave an abundance of love and received it too! Although it's not a traditional sign, I'm linking to Signs, Signs.

Almost Israel

I walked through Pardes Shalom cemetery a few weeks ago when we still had blue skies and color on the trees. It's a huge cemetery with lots of different sections for different congregations, this one had headstones all in Hebrew. I almost felt like I was in Israel. For a look at more cemeteries, head to Taphophile Tragics.

According to a reader, the stones read: May they rest in peace in this Pardes (a word meaning either paradise or orchard). I am guessing in this case, they mean paradise - although there are some orchards in Ontario!

Commuters

I found this photographic mural in the same place as the Pixel Matrix display. This mural is an actual photo of a street scene in Toronto. 

The work is definitely worth a closer look, some of the people seem to have noticed the camera - others just go about their business. I'm sure we could write some stories for these people. For more murals, visit Monday Mural.

You can lead an elephant to water...

But if the fountain is turned off for the winter, you can't make it drink! 

Hope you're having a great weekend. We finally got a slight relief from the rain, but I still haven't seen the sunny skies we were promised. At least it's been dry enough to clean up the rest of the leaves in the yard; not exactly what I call a fun weekend, but it has to be done!

Second choice

I almost chose this shot for yesterday's water's edge theme - I hope you'll still enjoy it! We haven't seen the sun in Toronto for almost a week now, let alone rainbows. I'm hoping we'll have some blue skies this weekend, but who knows? Hope you have a happy weekend! For more skies, take a look at Skywatch.

November theme day: Water's edge

You can find lots going on at the Lake Ontario waterfront. This is the Kajama, one of the many boats that will take you on a tour of the city's harbor and outlying areas. I have actually done the Kajama tour before, it was pretty neat to be out on the water with all the sails furled (although we were not actually "sailing", the boat has an onboard motor). When I passed by on the day back in July when this picture was taken, the crew was setting up for a wedding. I bet it was great fun!

Happy November everyone! For more interpretations of this month's theme, take a look here.

Jack o'lanterns in waiting

I found this display of pumpkins at my local Real Canadian Superstore (Canada's version of Target). The bright orange pumpkins were almost enough to liven up an otherwise gray day. 

Happy Halloween everyone! May you get plenty of treats and not too many tricks.