So today was a short day. We had planned to see both the ROM (the Royal Ontario Museum) and the Shoe Museum, but the ROM turned out to be so fabulous that by the time we made it through we were D-O-N-E, done!
For anyone who is ever thinking of going to Toronto - I highly, highly, highly suggest you hit the ROM. The whole thing is lovely, from the super cool subway stop...
...with it's "statue" columns and "ancient" architecture...
...to the bicycle racks where you store your bike upon arriving.
There were about a dozen different designs (and I LOVED that every single one was different, instead of using a template), but this one was my favorite (natch):
I also loved the giant Foo dogs guarding the side entrance. I don't know why I love Foo dogs, I just do. I was enthralled with the ones in Sydney, I loved the ones in San Francisco, and I've got a little one about a foot high guarding a clover patch in my front yard. I heart them, even though that might be weird.
The museum building itself has recently undergone some renovation, so when you approach it from the subway, it looks all innocuous and stately and very historic building-esque, then you turn the corner toward the main entrance and BAM! - you are blindsided by this:
It's absolutely crazily impressive, don't get me wrong, in a drunken-Spiderman-need-some-suction-cups-to-climb-it sort of way, but So unexpected. At least for me.
The external architecture is even carried through to the interior, which I thought was neat. I really like that there was a lot of natural light in the museum, although I'm hoping they're minimizing it's damage to the exhibits.
(On a side note, when we got to the museum this morning, I noticed that A) the garbage strike was still on...
...and B) Canadians must spend a *fortune* in spray paint, although they're using it fantastically!)
But back to the museum...I won't torture you with a blow by blow of every exhibit (though I did see a torturer or two!), but I will share a few of my favorite shots so that you can get a taste of the museum.
There are mamas and babies...
...and old headless dudes...
...huge honkin' poles...
...and frogs in the nude!
You'll find heart-shaped noses on statues of bone...
...and tiny clay horsemen who never travel alone.
There are fierce metal dragons...
...and warriors of clay...
...and tiny tin soldiers...
...who march every day.
There are ceremonial objects...
...and statues galore...
...and things that you wonder what the heck they are for.
So change up the day...
...with a mind like a sponge and your lips in a grin...
...gird up your loins...
...and be a kid once again!
YAY for the Royal Ontario Museum!
Once we left there, the rest of the day was uneventful. We had a late and thoroughly unimpressive dinner at Canyon Creek across the street from our hotel, which ended up being thoroughly frustrating and disturbingly expensive. It was lovely weather outside though, and nothing could ruin the ROM glow, not even Lou breaking my new agate bangle bracelet by dropping it on a stone floor. Poor kid, I thought he was going to have a heart attack.
All in all, culinary and jewelry tragedies aside, what a lovely, lovely, fantastic day. I would like to thank the staff at the ROM for taking such care to curate their entire museum in such a way as to interest me even in the exhibits I couldn't give a rat's ass about (such as Wedgewood), simply because they were so well done. I guess when you love your job, it shows - and I'm grateful for it, because my day was stupendous.
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