Molly On the Move

A Stop Byward Market

March 6, 2013July 8, 2013 Molly On the Move

One of the most useful lessons I learned from backpacking through Europe is that the best feast for the eyes, ears, mouth, and wallet is to be found in the marketplace. With that in mind, we headed to Ottawa’s Byward Market.

Since we arrived in Byward in the late afternoon, time was extremely limited. We ate at an open-air pub just off the square and, as we ate, were spoiled by the classical guitar stylings of Tom Ward on the street below. Though I had never heard Tom, as a semi-finalist in Australia’s Got Talent, he actually has a bit of fame to his name. I daresay he is one of the most talented musicians (and the most talent street musician) I have ever seen. The fact that his guitar was riddled with holes made his music all the more riveting.

Back on the street, we lost ourselves in Mr. Ward’s music for another twenty minutes before snapping to attention and exploring more of the market. The streets surrounding Byward have every type of store imaginable, including some excellent independent clothing and jewelry boutiques that my sisters and I dragged our parents to.

But when all was said and done, the clan just couldn’t stay away from food. We drifted back to the center of Byward Market as the produce vendors were starting to close up shop. Needless to say, we helped out by taking some berries off their hands.

A few steps away from that divine berry supply was Aux Delices Bakery, which caught our eye with three small words: “Gluten Free Cookies.” As a long-time gluten-free eater, I was ecstatic about being able to eat cookies and brownies from a legitimate bakery. Aux Delices Bakery bakes gluten-free goods first thing in the morning to minimize the possibility of contamination. It’s the little things, folks.

We were tipped off by our new amigo Karl (our favorite waiter at Chateau Laurier) that we could not leave Ottawa without trying their doughy specialty: the beavertail. Beavertails, essentially doughnuts in slab form, come in many varieties, including chocolate-banana, maple, and cinammon-sugar. Sibling Two flew cinnamon-sugar style. We passed back through Byward Market on our way out of Ottawa to try one.

With that, our car left Ottawa eighty pounds heavier.

Happy nomming!

-MB

Canada, Destinations, Ottawa

It’s yoga, hoser.

February 25, 2013June 3, 2013 Molly On the Move

Planning our visit to Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, there were two tasks on our list: (1) watch the changing of the guard, and (2) see how the inside of the Centre Block (above) stacked up against our own Capitol building.

Not on the list? Crashing Parliament Hill’s yoga hour. A little before noon, yoga enthusiasts meandered onto the lawn and rolled out their mats. A trickle of yoga-ites turned into a full-fledged river and before long it was Downward Dog, Ottawa style.

Definitely wish I had brought my yoga mat, but I think we got the best view as spectators, don’t you?

Canada, Destinations, Ottawa

On the grounds of Chateau Laurier

February 8, 2013January 23, 2015 Molly On the Move

I never expected to be able to say that I’ve slept in a chateau, but that changed soon after visiting Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. The chateau in question, Chateau Laurier, opened in 1912 and was built to house railway travelers passing through Ottawa at Union Station across the street. The following were taken within a stone’s throw of the chateau.

Dinner on the terrace
Sidewalk art

Chateau Laurier & Rideau Canal

Cheers!
-MB

Canada, Destinations, U.S.A.

Shower cap required

February 1, 2013January 23, 2015 Molly On the Move

Niagara Falls 2

Straddling Canada and the U.S., Niagara Falls is about an hour and a half from Toronto. In order to beat the hoards of tourists, we rolled in at ten, but the hoards would not be beat. Elbows were thrown and tourists pushed over rails. Kidding (probably).

Hoards aside, Niagara Falls is hypnotizing. There is no way to truly describe it. (Perhaps that is a personal shortcoming. After all, my best color comparison would be to Crest Kids’ Sparkle Gel toothpaste.) It booms and churns and roars and sails. But mostly, it takes your breath away and keeps it there.

As if you needed another reason to go, the Visitors’ Center had a vending machine of milk (bequeathed the “Dairy Goodness Centre”), which is significant because it’s weird and I love dairy. Really though, Niagara Falls deserves all the hype it gets.

When you go:

–Arrive early. We arrived at 10:00 A.M. and there were already a good amount of people. By the time we ate lunch and left, it was 3:00 P.M. and overflowing.
–Be prepared to be soaked. The mist from the falls is not a joke, so don’t wear anything that can’t get wet.
–To book a tour or not? The most popular tour is Maid of the Mist. We didn’t do at tour because really, how much better can you see the falls from below than from above? Reviews are good though, so don’t let me hold you back. Otherwise, you really only need a couple of hours to walk the area and hit all the scenic vistas.

Happy Barreling!

-MB

Ruminations

Boom or Bust, Ed. 2

January 27, 2013January 23, 2015 Molly On the Move

Egg, avocado, and toast — Egg + avocado + toast = EAT (see what I did there)

Boom: The mighty avocado does it again. I have seen this delicacy countless times on food blogs, but tried it myself just this week. For a quick and scrumptious meal, toast a slice of bread. Take 1/2 a ripe avocado, scoop onto toast, and mash with a fork. Fry an egg and plop it on top. A dash of salt and pepper, and tell your taste buds they’re welcome.

Bust: Kroger couples. In Athens, they are everywhere – barricading your black beans with their hand-holding and slowing your grocery-store sprint. When did the grocery store become a dating hotspot? I know making eyes at someone over a bushel of broccoli is titillating but please, get a room. I will be shopping in advance of February 14.

Boom: Cross fit. As part of free week at the campus gym, I sampled a class and experienced exquisite levels of muscle soreness for the next three days. The class consisted of circuit training – easy to replicate at your local gym:

1. Run 200 yards (lap around indoor track).
2. Do 100 squats.
3. Lap around track.
4. 25 burpees. (Bane of my existence but works every muscle)
5. Lap around track.
6. 50 full sit-ups.
7. Repeat 1-6 twice for a total of three circuits. Well done, buff you!

The premise of the class is to time yourself and beat that time in the future. What are you waiting for?

Bust: My butt (and legs and abs and shoulders) after Cross fit.

Boom: Brilliant yet obvious insight for the week…Dora the Explorer is named as such because the Spanish word for “explorer” is exploradora. Coincidence? I think not.

Here’s to a fresh new week!

-MB

Canada, Destinations, Toronto

Whirling Mirvishes

January 20, 2013February 8, 2013 Molly On the Move

A morning full of Tom Board left our afternoon free to explore the quirkier side of Toronto. In desperate need of sustenance, we circled out from Casa Loma and found ourselves on Bloor Street. It was overflowing with Asian cuisine, much to the dismay of my dad. As we searched, we saw one of the zaniest stores I’ve seen on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst: Honest Ed’s. Besides 23,000 lightbulbs, the facade sported ridiculous sayings, like “Honest Ed’s repulsive, but his bargains are appealing!”

Honest Ed's — Honest Ed’s, a famous discount on Bloor Street. It was built in 1948 and takes up an entire street block.

We decided Ed was creepy and his bargains unappealing. With a turn on Bathurst Street, we found ourselves in Mirvish Village (Ed Mirvish being founder of Honest Ed’s). Happening upon a restaurant with Dad-friendly-cuisine, I walked in and asked “Do y’all have menus?” The waiter’s eyes popped out of his head as he exclaimed “It’s contagious!”, confusing me because I had no idea to what he was referring. But then he leapt into praise of the hallowed “y’all.” Ah-ha. Never before has “y’all” been met with such enthusiasm abroad. Evan was eager to please and even made us a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade, the seeds lolling at the bottom as proof of his efforts.

Fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Shop in Mirvish Village.

This looks a lot prettier than it tasted.

We bid adieu to Evan and headed to Kensington Market, since Sibling Two and I got it into our heads that we were trendy and so were markets. Kensington Market was hip bordering on seedy, but had its moments. Which all involved food.

“When it comes to cheese…we speak your language!”

Fiddleheads.

Hungary Thai.

That wraps up Toronto…for now at least. It is such a vibrant city. I’ll be back someday!

Enjoy your MLK weekend!

Canada, Destinations, Toronto

Board-om at Casa Loma

January 13, 2013March 8, 2015 Molly On the Move

Another afternoon in Toronto brought the family to Casa Loma. Casa Loma is more castle than a “casa.” It is really big. It has lots of rooms. It was built between 1911 and 1914 by Henry Pellatt, who brought hydroelectricity to Toronto. I have already bored you.

Spare me a second and we’ll turn that bored into Board.

Endless rooms and vibrant gardens did not make Casa Loma memorable. What made Casa Loma memorable was Tom Board.

Tom is an 86-year-old volunteer at Casa Loma. He has been working there for 52 years. Though he is retired, he gives tours on his own time. When Tom singled our family out of the crowd, it was our self-guided audio tours that retired.

Without any preamble, Tom assumed responsibility for showing our family around the residence. We were amazed at his spryness – he bounded up stairs faster than any of the rest of us – and continually flirted with my mom. As we passed through one of the many bathrooms, Tom told Mom to get in the huge clawfoot bathtub so Sibling Two could take a picture. It would be funny, he said…

Mom: Do I take off my shoes?
Tom: You take off everything.

That happened.

During 52 years, you can imagine that Tom saw a lot. His three daughters, for example, all got married at Casa Loma. And of course he was privy to the many movies that have been filmed there, like X-Men, Chicago, and The Pacifier. During the filming of the movie Cocktail, Tom showed the principal actor down the elevator. He remembered thinking as they descended, “Who is this guy?” Then Tom Cruise stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Tom.”

So there you have it. Is Casa Loma worth visiting during your stay in Toronto? Probably. Is Tom Board worth visiting during your stay in Toronto? Absolutely.

Library.

Back.

Sundial in the gardens.

Back, seen from the gardens.

Ruminations

Boom or Bust, Ed. 1

January 9, 2013August 22, 2013 Molly On the Move

Boom: Four days at the annual Passion Conference in Atlanta with three wonderful friends. I am always skeptical of mass gatherings, but this one was well worth it. And this (above) is the view we woke up to every morning.

Bust: Sibling Two absconded with my only functional pair of jeans before I returned to college. Overalls anyone?

Boom: “Merino Cool” nail polish by Essie. It’s as if an eggplant was trying to get as pale as I am during the winter months. With much lovelier results, that is.

Bust: Sharing an all-female fitness class with my male Spanish professor. Asking “how sore are you?” in class is probably taboo.

Boom: A cure to my financial scatter-braindom. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mint.com. It’s a free service that streamlines your finances – checking, savings, and credit card accounts – and provides helpful budgeting tools. I’ve only been using it a week, but I already feel more in control of my (nonexistent) money.

Cheers!

– MB

Ruminations

Birthday cakes and writing weights.

December 14, 2012January 20, 2013 Molly On the Move

We celebrated my dad’s birthday last night, and the man acted like a giddy little boy. He tore open the box of an iPad Mini and was transfixed for hours. He was, I might add, severely lacking in his ability to take selfies.

Attack of the cake gobbler? Not amused. — iPad giving and cake gobbling? Sibling Two was not amused.

In other news, I am writing my teaching initiative and personal statement to teach abroad. You would think that after writing hundreds of pages of history papers in college that I would be somewhat in touch with words. False. I am only now realizing how hard writing is when it is personal.

When I am churning out a history paper I am hundreds of years removed from my subjects. These people have come and gone, in the process leaving enough of a mark on time that I am thinking about them – indeed, losing sleep over them – 150 years later. Their deeds are done. But when I am faced with writing about myself, that comfortable barrier of time is removed. I have to concern myself with making a mark on my own time. And that thur is a little weighty, ya dig?

Ruminations

Final(s)ly.

December 11, 2012January 13, 2013 Molly On the Move

This year’s participants of my finals paper-writing blitz.

There comes a time in every student’s life when the only things less appealing than facing another day of finals are (a) bathing in orange juice (b) hot gluing your toes together and (c) napping with barbed wire.

At this point, barbed wire is sounding cushy. After 30 pages of paper-writing in less than a week, I am droopy and draggy and all things dull. I have no idea where my grades stand in my classes. I found a cereal bowl between my pillows. I have worn the same outfit for the past three days. I am typing words backwards on my keyboard.

But I am done with my last fall semester of college, and I must say it has been a marvelous one. If you’re still chugging through finals, ONWARD! The holidays await, my friends!