The first real blast of winter (technically still fall on the calendar) hit Toronto this weekend with 20 cm of snow.
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| Believe in Santa Claus |
How can one not get into the Christmas spirit when watching the 1947 holiday classic
Miracle on 34th Street -- on the big screen! Having seen this film dozens of times on TV, it was great to enjoy it with the reactions of a live audience at the
TIFF Bell Lightbox. The five-storey complex on King St. W. has five cinemas and other galleries and studios.
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| Christmas lights in Little Italy on College St. |
Watching this movie on a Sunday afternoon took away the disappointment of visiting Little Italy on a snowy Saturday afternoon in search of Baccala (
salted cod fish, an Italian tradition for Christmas). I had called one market and asked if they had baccala. The guy said they don't carry Greek desserts. So, trudging along College Street, I, and my friend Agnes, searched the shops.
In the end, it wasn't a speciality shop that had what I was looking for. Thank goodness for Metro (a grocery store chain) for carrying salted cod from Alaska. A nice cappuccino at the
Sicilian Sidewalk Café helped this situation.
Here are a few other random photos below to illustrate the winter weather and Christmas time in Toronto.
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| Holiday shopping at Eaton Centre. |
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| King St. West after the winter storm. |
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| Lake Ontario after a week of sub-zero temperatures. Ferry making its way to Toronto Island. |
