The Tourist

Just got back from Toronto late last night. We were just gone for a few days but it feels so much longer than that. I love going away for a short trip to a place not too far away; you get that similar ‘vacation’ feeling without using up any vacation days.

The drive to Port Hope was especially nice. It was sunny and the temperatures had warmed up, which made it perfect for our Sunday driving. I have been going through a nostalgic phase regarding music so I pulled out some old albums for part of the drive. We listened to Radiohead’s The Bends and OK Computer and some Massive Attack, which totally brought me back to strange days past. I think I’ll be listening to Radiohead for the next week or two again; after a while of keeping them on the shelf, I’ve had my socks knocked off once again. What an amazing band. Anyway, happily the music list throughout the entire trip was quite a nice mix, including Iron & Wine’s latest album, some George Brassens, Joel Plaskett, Beck, The Fall, The White Stripes, Clinic, The Postal Service, The Beatles, The Sea and Cake, TV on the Radio, and Iggy Pop. Phew! I also wanted to sample The Arcade Fire, which I’ve heard so much about. I bought the CD for Chris (for another crib bet that he lost – yes, he lost and won the CD in defeat ), but he forgot it. We also talked a lot about music and music videos during the drive, which was great. I love music so much.

We stopped in the Thousand Islands area and walked near some of the islands. It’s a really cool place, especially since I didn’t know what to expect. There are cottages and homes on some of the islands, and it’s a nice woodsy area around. We were a bit delayed because of our stop there, but it was worth it to take a break and enjoy the drive. It was late afternoon when we arrived in Port Hope, a historic town about 45 miles from Toronto. It’s a very small, quaint little place, and while I wouldn’t live there it was certainly nice to stop and take a breather. We were the only guests at the Bed and Breakfast, which was a beautiful 19th century home. The owners offer the room plus half of their home for their guest's use, which included a formal living room and a little reading room with wall to wall shelves filled with books, with everything from Crime and Punishment to Harry Potter. The house was decorated in a mixed victorian & country style, which was nice. A lot of B&B’s seem to favour that overstuffed, romantic country look with too many flowery things – bedspreads, wallpaper, couches – and lots of clutter. But this place had a simple elegance that was nice to unravel in. Upstairs next to our bedroom was a bay window with lots of pillows and blankets. For some reason I have a soft spot for bay windows and I decided to lie there for a small nap as the sun went down, all wrapped up in a soft blanket. Afterwards, we did some reading and shared a bit of romance before walking down to a restaurant in an old historic building that was decorated in some kind of Casablancas movie theme, which was unusual and kind of cool. The smoked salmon salad appetizer was excellent, as was my pasta dish – too bad Chris’ pad thai was a disappointment. What made the supper especially nice was having the restaurant to ourselves. Stuart MacLean (of CBC’s Vinyl Café) was giving a show at the theatre down the street, so all the diners had left for that by the time we showed up. It would’ve been interesting to attend the show but it was sold out. Plus, the $55 cover was kind of steap in our student opinion.

The next day, which was Monday, we ate a hearty breakfast and left the B&B for some antique store browsing and some snowshoeing near Port Hope. We didn’t have much time to spare because of Chris’ appointment in TO, but it was great to break up the day and snowshoe around some trails. It was quite pretty and warm that day, too. Then off to the city of Toronto, which ended up being an in-and-out affair. Chris met his advisor at a bakery on St. Claire, and I sat away from them in the back to give them some privacy. I tried to call Mike, but to no avail – Mike, where were you man? – so we left as soon as the meeting was over. But it was nice to just sit back and drink tea in the sunny café, looking around at the comings and goings of the people outside and reading my book. I am now halfway through The Subtle Knife and the sub-plots are multiplying by the chapter. I’m enjoying it though and quite happy to have some leisure reading instead of just the school stuff. It was also interesting to watch Chris from afar, as though I were a stranger. I would look up every now and again and watch him as he spoke with animation about philosophy, surrounded by the bustle of the shop. It made me smile to myself several times.

And now, here I am. Still feel as though my spirit is lingering elsewhere, not quite ready to join the rest of me and my reality yet. But I do feel more rested and glad that the week will be a quiet one. I’ve also got Chris’ birthday to look forward to, as he's one of my best friends and I want to celebrate that with him. I made reservations at the Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro for Saturday evening at Chris’ request. And looking forward to the surprise gift I have for him. I sure hope he likes it! Otherwise someone else will get an out-of-the-blue gift from me.

Also, Manon and I are planning to go to Montréal on the weekend of February 12. To spite the whole contrived romance factor of Valentine’s Day, we declared ourselves our own Valentines years ago and spend a day together to celebrate our twin-dome. A few years ago I surprised Manon with a weekend plane ticket to Halifax when I was living there. I took her out to The Press Gang restaurant, and we also had a night at the Rogue’s Roost and crazy dancing at Gus’ Pub. Anyway, so this year we plan to go to Mtl and spend a day of shopping and walking around.

… All in all, I feel that the weekend trip I just took has helped veer me away from the blues and towards happier times. I don’t know what got into me – maybe an accumulation of things, some recent strain in a friendship of mine, and the cold bitter weather – but hopefully I’ve gone through the worst of it. February is here and I know that we’re already getting closer and closer to Spring. Ah, to feel the warmth of the sun on my face again! To walk around without layers that make me feel like a Goodyear Tire, to stand at a bus stop for more than fifteen minutes without freezing… Until then, I continue to try and battle through the harsh weather with some pleasant walking, snowshoeing, a few small trips and some good reading to help me temporarily forget about everything around me…

(p.s. I took a lot of photographs while in Port Hope, and I’ll post some of these very soon.)