Tirgan festival, Local sights, and 6K run

I’ve explored and experienced so much fun from Friday to Sunday, I just have to write about them here. I think the daily formula of 1.5 hours of fitness + 1 to 3 hours of outdoor fun is working very well for me this summer :)

Toronto Music Garden

On Friday evening, we went to the Tirgan festival to attend Kiosk the band outdoor concert at Harbourfront. The five-person band performed in Persian language, and their music was fantastic. The big crowd loved it and showed their appreciation with singalongs, and rounds of applause after each song.

Kiosk the band at Tirgan festival

On Saturday, I swam 55 laps earlier in the morning to get my fitness routine done before my relatives arrived. They have visited us in Toronto before but it’s been a while. The city has changed quite a bit since their last visit so I took them sightseeing where they haven’t been.

We spent about three hours strolling, chatting, and stopping to take pictures. Our walk included City Hall, the Financial District, Brookfield Place, and the Flat Iron building that I wrote about here. Lunch was at the historic St Lawrence Market (established in 1803), and cappuccinos at Cafe Balzac’s. A fun stop at Berczy Park to see the park's new design. The park was recently reopened at the end of June with a historic centrepiece, a large fountain that has 27 dog and one cat sculptures, and a golden bone sits atop the fountain. I enjoyed showing my relatives some local sights, and they were impressed with what they’ve seen. We returned home for dinner, relaxing and talking about possible meet-ups next summer.

Berczy Park fountain

Cafe Balzac's entrance

Cappuccino at Cafe Balzac's

On Sunday, it was sunny and warm 30 Celsius (88F). I ran my first 6K on a Life Fitness treadmill in the air-con gym in the morning. I had this idea after reading Deb’s I Can Do This post about her upcoming 6K race in Melbourne, Australia. I’ve been running 5K weekly since April and have done several 5K races before. I knew I could do 6K but never had any particular reason to do it. I’d like to try new activities that stretch me and mix things up from time to time to keep me interested. Now I can say I ran 6K on a treadmill. I felt great after the run. Success!

In the afternoon,  we went to the Toronto Music Garden for the Tio Chorinho: Brazilian Soul Music show at 4 PM. The musicians and singer stayed in the shade, and most of the audience were in the sun. We came prepared with sun hats. There are also scattered shades around the garden although you may not be able to see the band, just hear the music.

Brazil Soul Music at Toronto Music Garden

Toronto Music Garden

Marina by Toronto Music Garden

It was a beautiful day, in a beautiful garden setting by the lake front, and to listen to live music played by talented performers...Simply incredible! My pictures do not show enough of the garden’s beauty. If you’d like to learn more about the garden design and its history, please see the Toronto Music Garden web site. Such a lovely end to my weekend!

Plans for Monday to Thursday this week:

• Exercise an hour daily
• Learn Spanish 15 minutes daily
• Wrap up my joyful July in a sentence a day
• Prepare for a family long weekend getaway 

I hope you had a beautiful weekend, too. Make it a great week wherever you are!

Brookfield Place

I checked the weather forecast before deciding where to go for my discovery walk. It was partly sunny this morning then became cloudy in the afternoon, with high around 13C (55F).

From Union subway station, I walked to Brookfield Place to see the World Press Photo 16, a traveling exhibition of prize-winning entries by World Press Photo. The exhibition is on until October 25 with free admission. The winning images were selected from 82,951 photos made by 5,775 photographers from 128 different countries. I felt fortunate to be able to view them in my city.

The Allen Lambert Galleria where the exhibition is held is one of my favourite public places in Toronto. It is airy with just the right amount of light, a pleasure to walk through from Bay Street entrance to Yonge Street.

If you are a hockey fan, a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame is a must. This bronze art work at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets captures a group of hockey players. I like their eager and happy expressions.

Continuing east on Front Street towards Church Street, I found a well-known landmark at Church and Wellington Streets: The Gooderham Building or Flatiron building. I find the shape, colour, and location of this building interesting.

On my loop back to Union Station, along Wellington Street, I saw another bronze sculpture titled U.V. Ceti by Andrew Posa, “Dedicated to Edward Isaac Richmond, architect, 1908-1982. A kind man who shared his love of beauty.”

It turned out to be a fine Sunday. I’ve done my exercises today, seen some amazing art work, and now I’m back at home to write this blog post. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I look forward to another walk next week when I plan to see a number of bronze sculptures. How is your weekend?