2011 Ontario: Toronto and home

We headed to Toronto and our favorite restaurant for breakfast ... Cora's.

The streetcars I knew as a child still operate.

Traffic was slow, skyscrapers and the CN tower leads us downtown.We headed to Toronto and had breakfast at our favorite restaurant ... Cora's

The architecture is unique and beautiful with an inner courtyard.

On the roof: plants natural to Ontario.

From the roof, you can see the Historic Court House.

These buildings have incredible crafted details.

We also visited the Parliament Buildings.

You can imagine the carriages driving on the old brick road.

Looking back to the city.

Skyscraper and more buildings to come.

Suddenly an old tunnel.

The Chinatown is old with some excellent restaurants.

Next to the shiny new buildings ... beautiful old houses.

Henry Moore sculpture ... art you can touch.

The Art Gallery is a must!

Photos are not allowed of fine art work ... but, the stairs were a work of art.

The view wraps around.

In some cases, the old facades are kept and new glass buildings rise from within.

We drove down St. Claire ... I was born near here.

Spidina is a main route downtown.

In the middle of the city, an exercise group.

We visited Casa Loma, a castle built by Sir Henry Mill Pellatt.  The building costs were estimated at $200,000 and ended in the Millions. The economics of the time were volatile and the family lost their fortune and castle. It now belongs to the city of Toronto and is run by the Kiwanis.

You enter into a high medival central hall.

Much restoration has been done, including a
 pipe organ.

The detail in the work is amazing.

The Master bedroom.

A unique lamp from the original furnishing.

Lady Pellatt worked to develop the Girl Guides.

Although the maid's quarters are small, it was said that  they were well treated.

Stairways ...

and more stairways ... up into a turret.

There is an interesting military collection.

You can have your photo taken in period costumes.

A huge library!

The garden room is my favorite.

Even the stables were magnificent. A tunnel leads from the castle.

We spent a pleasant evening with my husband's father's cousin and his wife Margaret.

The trip home was cloudy until we reached Calgary  - with the foothills and Rocky Mts.

As we came into the Vancouver area, it was cool and cloudy.

My garden was glowing with spring flowers ... I had been away a month.