Casa Loma & Hockey Hall of Fame

Friday 8th May 2009
Kensington Market was unexpected and very different from all those other public markets before. Firstly, it was an intersection of two streets. It was a collection of eclectic shops selling the mundane such as fruits and clothes to odd musical instruments and retro artifacts. Friendly shopkeepers and smiles.

Next I headed to Casa Loma Castle which means "House (on the) Hill". Henry Pellatt who made his fortune in harnessing electricity form the Niagara Falls to power Toronto. He was fascinated by the middle ages and built this medieval castle in 1909. He even built a castle sized stable for his horses. His wife was unable to walk and so he built a room for her overlooking the toronto city below. Back then, there were not many high rise buildings and it is said that from her window she would have been able to see the Lake Ontario. Unfortunately, the Pellatts only stayed in this magnificent castle for 11 years because of financial setbacks in 1924.

Opposite the road was the Spadina House. I was fortunate to get a free admission pass into the house from a friendly teacher I met. The guide was very thorough with his tour. Among other things he explained the practice of visiting the house back in the 1800s. I was interesting how the secret servant doors were used so as not to be seen by guests and the family members. The interior was decorated with genuine items accumulated over four generations. At the lower level, I learnt that the house had been burnt in 1835 and when the estate was rebuilt, James Austin acquired the house. There is a story about one of the Austin owners building a special room for his son who was suffering an incurable disease. They wanted him to have a special room fro himself. Unfortunately, the son died during an overseas trip.

The door I am standing in front dates back to the old Baldwin estate and was preserved because it had hosted many prominent people (such as the first prime minister of Canada, if i'm not wrong). Anyway, notice that the Austins owned the Consumer Gas company and their home had many gas powered appliances. And so, there was a rivalry between the Pellats and the Austins.

Went to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame. Pictured above is the original Stanley Cup. The NHL began as a pasttime in Canada during the winter season. When life throws you plenty of snow, play Ice hockey. At the beginning of NHL in 1917 there were a few teams, namely Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs. Not having much exposure to Ice hockey before I appreciated looking at the exhibits such as the Timeline of NHL and the Stanley Cup dynasties. There was also a special centennial celebration commemorating the Montreal Canadiens.

Went to St Lawrence Market to buy last minute Canadian maple biscuits and syrup. Expensive here but I couldn't find any other shops. Although I would still be conitnuing with my holiday in USA, I felt sad to be leaving Canada.