Tag: winter

Toronto For Italians

A few weeks ago Peter’s nephew Beniamino and his wife Anna announced that were coming to Toronto for 2 weeks at Christmas. It seemed a strange time to leave Italy and travel to Toronto and our cold and snowy weather. But we will be excited to see them.

Beniamino and Anna have entertained us countless times when we have gone to Italy. They have housed and fed us, driven us cross country, taken us to historic towns, classic concerts, and beautiful coastlines. They have even welcomed our friends and family into their lives. We owed them so much. How could we give them a similar experience?

First of all we told local family and relatives about the visit and everyone was excited to contribute to this holiday adventure. Then I decided to use my blog experiences to choose the best places in Toronto for Beniamino and Anna to enjoy. We started with the Eaton Centre. What visitor doesn’t want to buy a few souvenirs to take home?

From there we could walk over to the “old ” and “new” city halls, built in 1899 and 1965. But then I remembered our visit to Rome to see the oldest structure there, the Pantheon, built in 27 BC. Maybe we could show them our New architecture instead. We could walk south to King Street and look up at the glass and steel skyscrapers sparkling in the sun and almost touching the sky.

The AGO, Frank Gehry’s masterpiece, might be of interest. The Galleria Italiana, a long corridor made of glass and Douglas fir that cures along the front of the building and connects several galleries, shows off nicely. And maybe we could take them to a concert at Roy Thomson hall, another great modern building where the acoustics would highlight the sounds of “Bravissimo, a night at the Italian Opera. But how would it compare to a concert we had seen outdoors on a starry summer night in the courtyard of Cassamare, an old Italian convent built in the 1200’s?

What was the best way to show off Canada in the winter? Someone suggested a trip to Blue Mountain with cross country skiing and maybe a sleigh ride in the woods. Or we could do a day trip to Niagara Falls to see the lights. But what would Beniamino and Anna wear? Would they own tuques and mitts? Did Italians even know about thermal underwear?

Then I started thinking about food. For sure we would take them to Eataly for shopping and a meal. One day we would have to visit San Remo, an Italian bakery with huge line-ups and mouth-watering veal sandwiches. Or there was Queen’s Pasta on Bloor St for an elegant dinner. At home I cold cook minestrone soup and make polenta casserole.

Then someone casually mentioned that maybe these Italian visitors would like to sample some other choices in the most multicultural city in the world. Perhaps some Thai food? Or maybe a trip to Greektown. Or would they like to try a steak house? Or possibly some spicy Indian food.

Then other cracks began to appear in my carefully planned agenda. Would they have room in their suitcases for the shopping part? Do they like opera? Had I left enough time for them to visit other cousins and family members they know here? Had I allotted any time to just relax with an espresso?

In the end I made lists – places to visit, things to eat, people to see. Then I put the lists away. When Beniamino and Anna arrive we will give them big hugs and make espresso. And let the days go wherever they take us.

Sue

PS Happy Holidays dear readers. I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t write next Tuesday. I may be busy rewriting my lists.

Life In the Snow Lane

For the past couple of winters we have been almost pining for a big dump of snow. It’s sparkly and clean, and it opens doors to activities outside. But during the past week we have had that big dump, over and over again. And we are somewhat overwhelmed. How did we manage to forget all the difficulties and disruptions that snow can bring?

After Peter and I saw the first snow we got ready to go outdoors. First we had to dig out our insulated high boots, the ones with the good grip. Our usual shoe/boots would not make it through the drifts, or keep us steady on the ice buried underneath. Then we found mittens because gloves just don’t keep fingers warm enough. As the crowning touch, Peter uncovered his Russian-style hat with ear flaps, and I put on my ear muffs. We were fashionistas!

On Friday the driveway had to be shovelled and Peter found our electric snow-blower which he hadn’t used in 2 or 3 years. It cleared the driveway just fine, but the piles at the end of the driveway left by the city plows were just too much for that little engine. After Peter tried the shovel, with little to show for his effort, a lovely younger neighbour from across the street offered to help. The excitement of shovelling was starting to wear thin so without hesitation Peter said yes.

When we were able to get the car out, we went canvassing for our local provincial candidate. The wind was howling and many sidewalks were not plowed. We had to climb over piles and drifts so we could walk on the road. Then we had to climb back over the plies to get to the homes, where the front steps were usually slippery. When we knocked on the front door, nobody was home. Or maybe they were home and just not opening the door to the cold winter winds. Who could blame them? According to records, this is the first election held in the winter since 1887, thanks to you-know-who.

Our candidate’s sign is almost buried.

On Saturday afternoon our extended family visited us to eat Canadian roast beef and help celebrate 3 family birthdays. Our daughter, who was bringing the salad, showed up at the door at 1:00 pm while I was still in my pyjamas. She had delivered the salad all the way from Orangeville and then, after a quick visit, she and her husband and the dog drove back to Orangeville before the snow got really heavy. This was a big sacrifice with little gain for them. I couldn’t even give them any (as yet uncooked) roast beef.

I hurried to get dressed before the next guests began arriving at 2:00. While I cooked the roast and set the table, the young dads and their sons bundled up and set out on a trip to the toboggan hill. Peter followed with his ipad so he could take pictures. They returned an hour later, all snowy, red-faced, and smiling, and we all ate dinner together. We hurried through the birthday cake course so everyone could clear off their cars and try to drive home. They made it safely, but it was a slow go.

On Sunday morning we looked out to see even more snow. Peter found numerous ways to delay his daunting task. He read the newspaper which the carrier had somehow delivered during the night, he helped me clean up the kitchen, he even took a short nap. Then he donned his Russian hat and went out. But a surprise awaited – the driveway was clear! Another wonderful neighbour, this one with a monster snow blower, had beaten him to it.

One really good thing about snow – it brings out the generosity of family, friends and neighbours.

Sue