Taste of Italy

On June 17th Caroline and I went to the "Taste of Little Italy" on College St. just past Bathurst. Of course whenever we go downtown we stop at her favorite boutique store 

So while she investigated the little treasures inside, I started taking pictures outside. Believe it or not, this guy was not scowling at me!

The streetcar sure takes it's time on Queen St.

Well, you could always find alternative forms of transportation

Eventually some folks just resort to walking

Or just waiting

So now that we are off to the festival, we parked near UofT. Lots of activity and lots of soccer games.

The streetcars were so packed that we had to walk from University to Bathurst. Once we got there the first things to do were for the little ones..

Quite often, the real pictures are behind you. This fellow was taking pictures of a band performing 70's cheesy music.

Then lots of people enjoying the music

Or not

Awesome calypso music. Not sure how it fits litte Italy?

These guys were just terrific. Wonderful old school Italian music mixed in with a bit of Caribbean sound.

Then there was the old faithful, "When the moon hits your eye...."

Whistling along

I wish I had a shot of this guy's wife dancing up a storm. She was great and It looks like he enjoyed it as well.

More than just people at the fair...

You could even wager a loonie or 2...

Come on... would you take 10 instead of 15?

Soaking it all in...

This next shot illustrates the frustration in taking street photography. It was getting dark so I had to bump up my ISO and the fastest I could shoot was 1/60 with my glass. This shoot would have been one of my very best street shots in a long long time but what can you do?

As the evening wore on, the crowds became almost unmanageable. At times we could not move for 5 mins. or more.

So now we are on our way home. Just enough time to take a couple of night shots of 2 of the many buildings that make up the University of Toronto campus.

We really liked this festival as there were far more music options than the taste of the Danforth and until 7 or 8pm we were able to move around far better. There was not a lot of food choices on the street, mostly Penne ala Vodka or some kind of shiskabobs. I would have liked to see some authentic pizza's etc. Overall, I would recommend it.

Exploring the University of Toronto

During a couple of lunch hours, John then Nick and George came with me to the University of Toronto campus to photograph the beautiful buildings with what seems centuries old Ivy.

We started our adventure at Falconer Hall. Thanks to Bharat's trusty D100 IR camera, I was able to make something of what was a very bland sky

The Ivy is so impressive 

Next was Flavelle house that was built in 1902. Great columns.

We took the walking path towards Trinity College which is where we would spend most of our time. Along the way, the peaks of the college looked so much like a castle and the IR trees made for great fake clouds.

Honestly, the closer you get to the college, the more you feel that you are back in the turn of the century.

Trinity College was built in 1925 and boasts this beautiful courtyard. I was trying to get a 360 shot like my buddy John but this was the best that I could do. John's is far better. At least you get a bit of the sense of it.

The courtyard or quad is filled with beautiful architectural features. The yard was recently upgraded in 2007 where the asphalt walkways were replaced by intricate flagstone. The doors and staircases are magnificent.. 

Impressive sculptures carved right into the doorways. They almost dare the student to do better all the time.

The windows are all adorned with what is likely leaded stained glass. The colours were much more vivid that this shot shows

Leaving Trinity college you walk through these doors

And out these ones. I am starting to wish I went to this university when I was young.

As you walk south you pass by Wycliffe Tower which was built in 1891......

.... and you come to the Soldiers tower. The Soldiers tower was built in 1924 and has all of the Alumni who have lost their lives during the 1st and the 2nd war.

You can't really see it here but the stained glass is a representation of "In Flanders Fields" along with other pieces that depict the men and woman of the arm forces.

Moving even more south now, you can still see the medieval world that lies just past the surrounding trees.

 There was one last sculpture that caught my attention. I don't know anything about it but I loved the way it sort of stood proudly, almost guarding the campus.

 This is the Donnelly Ctr Cellular & Biomolecular Residence built in 2004. As if to just prove that the University of Toronto is progressive and not stuck in the late 1800's

Hope you liked this walk through the University of Toronto campus.