A couple weeks ago I noticed something on my cousin's girlfriend's Facebook about a Toronto Christmas Market. Knowing we were planning on visiting Toronto over Thanksgiving weekend, I eagerly clicked through and couldn't believe my eyes--it looked like a real Christmas market! I mean, look, Rochester's doing a holiday village type thing this year that sounds similar, but in most cases it seems like few of these things live up to any sort of semblance of what the European ones have. But this one looked amazing! So, I made it my mission to get there.
We drove to Toronto around mid-morning on Friday. We originally tried to grab lunch at a mall in Mississauga where there was a Chipotle, but who knew that despite not being the day after a holiday in Canada, everyone was doing some hardcore Black Friday shopping. The mall was a madhouse and we literally could not get a parking spot. We drove around for probably 20 minutes and had no luck. It was pretty awful, actually. So soon we gave up and looked for a Pizza Pizza, and found one not far away. By this point I was stressed out that we'd never make it to the market with enough time to walk around before we had to grab dinner and head to our main event later in the evening. But we ate our lunch and headed right downtown. Luckily traffic wasn't bad and the weather was pleasant--cold, but sunny. Upon arrival at the convenient nearby parking lot, we bundled up and walked to the market. It was a lovely sight to behold...
I really wish I could have seen this at night. Not only would the lights have been amazing, but more vendors would have been open and I can only imagine the feel would have been magical. Alas, only a daytime trip was in the cards for us--which is just as well because it's ticketed on Friday night and all weekend so I would have been stressed about timing and availability, and annoyed when the kids wanted to leave five minutes in after paying to get in. It was cold, but we managed.
I never even knew the Distillery District existed, and what an awesome area it is! Cool old buildings, all restored to house shops, bars, and restaurants. There's a lot of interesting public art, and it made for the perfect Toronto-ized version of an old-school Christmas market.
It had vendor booths just like in Europe, plus a "days to Christmas" countdown--it was 32 when we were there.
The tree was hard to appreciate in the daylight, but it was pretty nonetheless.
It was a nice opportunity to try to get some pictures of the kids. Don't be surprised if something like this ends up on our Christmas card...
Well, maybe not this one...
Because it was daytime a lot of the alcohol vendors weren't open (including the Tyskie kiosk, much to Craig's disappointment--it's a Polish beer, in case you didn't know). This stand (for a different kind of beer) looked like it would be a fun one, though!
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| Note the beer can wreaths on the front! |
The charm was everywhere at the market. This turkey leg/pretzel/cider stand made the German in me smile :)
There were also a couple rides, though at $5 a pop, we passed. Remember, it was in the 30s, so the cool breeze would not have been a welcome side effect!
Like I mentioned, the old architecture in the Distillery District was really cool. Note the Gooderham & Worts name in the pictures below. Apparently it was once the largest distiller in Canada, producing whisky. The area dates back to the mid-1800s and is now a national historic site.
There were numerous little alleyways to venture down, each with different shops and vendors. Were it not for Jacob's gluten issues and the chilly weather, we certainly would have explored a bit more thoroughly! Some of the food looked amazing!
Outside a sports store, we saw these fun sculptures...
I just loved this sign. Again, don't be surprised if it shows up in a Christmas card...
There were lots of little photo ops throughout the market, but this one happened to be free when we passed by, and who better to wear the wings? (Haha)
It was fun to pretend we were in Europe (and certainly Toronto's not a bad spot to pretend given the diversity), but it was neat to see the CN Tower in the background and remember just how close to home this fun actually was!
We were starting to get cold and the kids were eager to get to our fancy hotel (yay for a good deal) and eat the NHL-themed chocolate eggs (with a tiny toy prize inside) that we got at the sports store with the cool sculptures. But there's always time for another photo op...
As we started heading back to our van and I was trying to take a picture up this alleyway, Carter saw me with the camera and posed. Of course, I'll always take a picture of a smiling kid!
One last shot before we headed out. Oh, how I wished it was a little darker! The lights lined the buildings but the daylight just didn't do it justice!
I'm so happy I got to see the market, and now I know that in future years, if I see a period of oddly warm weather coming along in December, I will make it a point for Craig and I to do an overnight in Toronto so we can get the full effect of the market at night--both with the lights and a little partaking of what the Distillery District specializes in--without freezing our butts off! It was so nice to get a little taste of what a real European Christmas market might be like, and just confirmed that I still really want to check one out--albeit with really warm boots and gloves!
But for now it was off to the hotel and the real reason for our trip--Raptors basketball!
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