Too much snow to do much at all
In Calgary, when it snows, trucks are on the ground with shovels, salt, and chemicals even before the snow starts to accumulate. Even in 'bad weather' it's still reasonably easy to get around if you are on main streets, and homeowners and landlords have to clear their walks within 24 hours. (Of course this doesn't always happen, but it's a good idea. Likewise, in Calgary, we can usually trust a chinook will come and melt the snow within a few days of it falling.This was not the case in Toronto.
I arrived, and waited another hour in the plane after landing for the pilot to find us a gate - the airport had become a giant plane parking lot because of all the cancelled flights. Once out, I caught a shuttle, but since my hotel wasn't one of the big ones, the shuttle would only take me to within 10 blocks of the hotel. When I had planned the trip, this wasn't a big deal - I could easily walk the distance with my small rolling suitcase... this wasn't the case with all the snow on the streets and sidewalks, making one block take over 10 minutes of struggle.
Needless to say, although I had planned many things to do while in Toronto for my brief visit, very few of these things were possible. Cabs were hard to find, and busses and trams weren't running on time.
Luckily, I got to my show (The Guards of Glory Tour featuring Phantom, Stolen Babies, Firewind and Turisas) with plenty of time and got back to my hotel room safe and sound, but a lot of my other plans went out the window...
The Bata Shoe Museum
However, despite all of the mislaid plans, I did get to one "tourist" sight - the Bata Shoe Museum.Hundreds of shoes (from a collection of over 10,000 shoes) are on exhibit in this four-storey building in Toronto. I started on the lower level by dropping off my coat and backpack, and then proceeded through the floors in the well-thought-out galleries. Over 4,500 years of history are represented in the museum, ranging from the tiny shoes worn by Chinese who practiced foot binding, and ancient Egyptian sandals to Renaissance-era Turkish bath house sandals called nalins and Renaisance-era chopines - pedestal-like footwear worn in Italy and Spain. Current footwear is also on display - see Blue Suede Shoes or ponder the enormous footwear by a famous basketball player.
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| Beaded soles on aboriginal footwear |
There's also a gallery devoted to the footwear (and thus also clothing and culture) of Canada's aboriginal people, from the plains to the northern lands. This is the semi-permanent exhibition, Beauty, Identity, Pride: Native North American Footwear. While we were there, I was most interested in the feature gallery of Roger Vivier. It was set up like a mix between art gallery and couture salon, with extravagant examples of his work throughout his career. Blue lace heels from the 1961-62 Christian Dior collection collaboration were shown alongside the original chalk sketches.
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| Extravagant lace heels |
While fancy footwear might not be every metalhead's idea of a good time, the Bata Shoe museum is a very unique tourist experience, especially if you're interested in footwear and fashion.
Visit: The Bata Shoe Museum website
327 Bloor St W Toronto, ON M5S 1W7, Canada
Even more about Toronto
Wondering what else I was able to do while in Toronto despite the snow? Check out my craft/costume blog, Dawn's Dress Diary, and the posts tagged with "Toronto" like my post about bead shopping in Toronto, which I was able to do on my last day before flying home.Or, check out the Food Blog I write for - Happy Sushi Belly, for photos of the snow in a post about La Merceria. You can also check out:
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