Florence and Her Machine In Toronto

Florence + The Machine played in Melbourne for this new album on the weekend I flew out to come to Toronto, so when I saw the date for her North American tour into Canada the universe seemed to telling me that I should go! After debating for weeks about whether to gamble on getting tickets from a re-sale website to this sold out show, Kylie, Chloe and I took the plunge, got tickets for the lawn section, and made our way down to the Molson Amphitheatre on an island on Lake Ontario last night.

We arrived and found a patch of grass just in time to hear The Walkmen play their set, being the second band for the night. I had heard them at Harvest whilst I was in line for food, and thus was keen to see them once I had spotted them on this bill.

A band from NYC, the lead introduced a bass player from Fleet Foxes as a substitute on stage for the evening, and then proceeded with their set of indie folk rock tunes. They were really good, and held the growing crowd's attention.

Another thing that was holding our attention on the hill at this time, however, was the mammoth-sized beer cans we had purchased, being 750ml cans - massive!

I was really impressed with this venue, which was easy to get to via streetcar, and the view on the hill was amazing! Sitting with the stage directly in front, the city and the CN Tower was in our right field of vision, and a glorious sunset on the left. The sound was good, and the facilities were ample.

This show, being part of her Ceremonials tour promoting her sophomore album, contained most of this release and just a couple of tracks from the epic Lungs.

Flo did not use her voice and it's range as much as she has on other occasions when I have seen her live, and utilised the backing vocalist for several bigger sections of some of her songs, but this is totally forgivable given that it's the end of a very long tour and year of performing.

Opening with Only If For A Night and What The Water Gave Me, she then chatted to the huge crowd as her English accent carried across the masses.

She encourgaged the type of concert crowd behaviour that security must dread, with Rabbit Hole (Raise It Up), before talking about writing Heartlines when she was far and away from home for some time last tour. Ending the set with the huge Shake It Out and Dog Days Are Over had the whole crowd singing and dancing along, which sounded amazing.

Returning for a two song encore, Never Let Me Go and No Light, No Light ended the night. It was so great to see her live again, and to see a stadium swell and unite to these epic tracks.

Shades of London in Ottawa

With all the sights of London on the TV at the moment through the Olympic coverage, it reminds me of all the amazing places I used to live and walk passed, 6 years ago now!

The closest I have been to London of late, apart from the mentions of London, Ontario, was walking around Parliament Hill in Ottawa over the Canada Day long weekend. There were so many whispers of London and England all around!

Of course, the Peace Tower looks like Westminister's Big Ben, with it's big clock faces, and imposing presence over this portion of the city. Taking a ride up to the top, I learnt that that in fact the chiming of this clock rarely happens live. The peel of bells Ottawa hears every 15 minutes is in fact a recording of Big Ben, from the home land. The carillon is only used for very special occasions, like the Canada Day celebrations which occurred the day before my visit.

The changing of the guards, with their scarlet regimental tunics and a bearskin hats, and brass band sections, is just like the London experience - if not better, because it was much easier to get a good view here for the Canadian version!

The presence of images of Queen Elizabeth II is also ever-present in Canada, including on the back of all the coins, just like Australia. A prominent reminder of her hold on the throne is here at Parliament Hill also. This strong image of her in bronze taking her horse for a trot is pretty impressive, really. A real ode to the character we all associate with our matriarchal monarch!



Queen Victoria makes a bit more of an impression on the everyday lives of Canadians, because their Queen's Birthday public holiday is to mark her birthday, as opposed to the Aussie day off.

I love this stained glass window, deep within the Parliament Hill building, and around near the entrance to the Senate, with both Queens facing each other.

This window is The Diamond Jubilee Window, and represents the 60th anniversary of the crown of both Queen's. The detail here includes an image of Parliament Hill in it's state during each reign, with the Queen Victoria's version flying the British flag and has the older smaller tower in place, which was destroyed in fire.

Many reminders of the "homeland" within Canada, none more present that within the parliamentary area of Ottawa.

Dr King Remembered In Washington DC

Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, on the stone where Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered his 'I Have A Dream' speech, in Washington DC, is pretty monumental. Being there, looking over the (currently under refurbishment) Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument in front of you, imagining the awe of hearing such an inspirational speaker and fighter for human and civil rights, is inspiring!

The stone is marked with the date, and the reminder that this was part of the Walk on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. That very spot, where the podium stood. That moment in American history that brought change.

Not far from The Mall, on the edge of the Tidal Basin, is the fairly new Martin Luther King Jr Memorial. One of only 4 non-presidents to have such a memorial around this area of the nation's capitol, and the first African-American to be honoured in this area in such a way. And such a powerful space it is!



Coming from The Mall, you walk through the Mountain of Despair to the space, where stones of strength and a strong impression of Dr King overlooks the water. All around these stones are wall adorned with many of the powerful words of Dr King, during his short but admirable life.

Words of empowerment and advocacy, wisdom and equality.

Play Me, I'm Yours, Toronto

The idea of art, music and a sense of community scattered all around the city of Toronto totally enchanted me about the Street Pianos installation around town. I first heard about it because one such piano is sitting in the hallway downstairs at work, and news of it's arrival had been broadcast within the internal news.

With the tag line "Play Me, I'm Yours", these 41 pianos have each been painted to represent a different country competing in the Pan Am Games here in Toronto in 2015.

The website is full of stories of people sitting down to play, and the hidden musical talents of the random public. But also, what captivates most are the tales, and sights, of a couple of strangers chatting as they play, or standing listening to an accomplished player having a go on the keys. One evening I saw an older gentleman sitting with 2 younger girls, figuring out how to play the parts of Heart and Soul together. Right there on a busy Toronto street. Making a connection.



I captured a few pianos with my camera, namely the one at Sick Kids and the one at the main airport, and also the one along University Avenue that I pass on my way to work every day, over the last couple of weeks. But as the end of July is approaching, I was keen to make a dash around the city to spot a few more.

Tonight at the end of work, Tara, Natalie and Arielle joined me for a 'Piano Crawl', where we managed to see 7, including the baby grand which is painted to represent Canada. Oh, and 2 pub stops along the way, in The Annex and then along King Street West! Much needed, and definitely added to the crazy adventure!

The detail of the artwork on each piano is also very impressive, with the pink Bermuda, the faces of Barbados, and the notes of the national anthem for Nicaragua, all adding colour and diversity to the discoveries of each piano. The baby grand is also pretty special, and this was a pretty cool find, after being disappointed at a few spots on our map with the removal of a few prematurely today for our Crawl. (More photos.)

Pianos have been in Sydney, and are due to be in Perth in October. These pianos in Toronto are set to move up to Stratford for August. There is also due to be a group of pianos in Cambridge, UK, later this year. What a great event, bringing people together all around the city!

Americas Wars Memoralised

Along the Mall in Washington DC is not only the iconic monuments that the world is pretty familiar with, but each of America's past wars also have a space of remembrance - each pretty impressive in their own right.

The first as you walk towards Lincoln from the Washington Monument, is the World War II Memorial. This oval water feature is surrounded by columns representing each US state, and the Pacific and Atlantic efforts. This memorial also features the Freedom Wall, which 4049 gold stars and has the marking "the price of freedom", each star representative of 10 American lives lost or missing during this battle.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is on the North side of the site of the Reflecting Pool, and stands as black granite with about 58000 names of the men and women fallen to this war, also with a little cross next to the names missing in action.

The names listed across the two sides of the wall are done some in chronological order, and marks the vast waste of life. The design of the memorial is aimed to give no political statement about this battle, but the sheer size and volume of names speaks for itself.

It brought to mind that speech former Australian Prime Minister gave at the Gallipoli Dawn Service in 2005, about how war not only robs the world of these people who have died, but also of their potential. Their feats at home, maybe academically, scientifically and within humanitarian achievements, their potential loves and children leading to future generations, all lost because of war.

On the South side of the Reflecting Pool is the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and is the most eeriest and surreal monument. It is a section of garden, with statues placed through it decked in true equipment as they would have been during this era, and a wall showing faces etches from actual photos from the National Archives of the personnel of this war.

There are 19 soldiers here, representing a ratio of ethnic cross section of the numbers lost in this battle. The men are staggered in formation, and yet quite alone in each one's stalking of the jungle - it's such a real sense of what it may have been like to be on patrol like this. So powerful.

So many of these sites include words from great beings at the time, talking of protecting freedoms and human rights, and upholding justice and world peace. It's really quite sad taking these in, when considering the state of the world at the moment.

The most powerful wording for me was found at the FDR Memorial near by, etched on these stones:

Atlas

I am surprised by the experience of little pangs of homesickness, creeping in every now and then at this point of my time in Toronto, now 2.5 months of being away from home, and with one month remaining till I start the process of heading back to Australia.

The old Qantas ad with the Aussie boys and girls choirs singing I Still Call Australia Home all around the world, would always make me home-proud regardless of where I was, where I was planning to travel next, or where I had just been.

This new one, just released, pulls me home too!


The footage of the backyards, the farm-scapes, and even the car washing scene, feel like the quintessential Aussie Summer life to me, with the fresh and everyday aspects that I miss when I am away. This ad makes me crave vegemite and a roadtrip through a few states!

Isn't it great to see Daniel Johns looking so well! An Aussie musician I feel like we have grown up with. A great musical piece.

This is a sponsered post.

Pockets of Toronto

Following on from our quest to get to as many of the different Toronto neighbourhoods and tastes as possible whilst I am here, I have found a handful of gems in the last month.

We made the trek out to the Danforth, or Greek Town as it's also known, where Kylie and Natalie and I had pints for a catch up, before grabbing a table at Mezes Restaurant for a feast. Having cheese brought to the table, and having the waiter splash brandy on it and set it on fire was almost as impressive as it tasted! The dips were to die for.

Coming out onto the street from our delicious meal, we stumbled upon a "candy" store, which delivered loads of fun and gadgets - and points of marvel for the Aussie girls. Despite our full bellies, there is always room for ice cream on a night light this, and we found Docle Gelato. The watermelon sorbet was the hero of my selection!

That same weekend I took a streetcar and bus up north to meet Arielle, and she took me to her local ice creamery. Dutch Dreams is the type of local legend where people line up down the street to get their chance at the front of the line, and make their cone choice. The waffle cones, made onsite, are coated with treats, making them too good to pass up!

The interior of the family run business is decorated with trinkets from Holland, giving the experience of eating in a very European feel. Again, the sorbet choices were sensational.

Kylie and I met up along Queen Street West the following Friday night, and put our names on the list for Kao San Road. Always a good sign when the restaurant is full early on a busy night, and that the line moves fast. This Thai delight was one I sampled as part of 1000 Taste of Toronto, and having the full menu selection this time was mouth watering.

The meals were fresh and delicious, as was the atmosphere within this busy canteen style eatery.

Then, the following Tuesday was Natalie's birthday, and I encouraged an outing to her favourite bar in Toronto. She nominated Three Speed along Dufferin, on a very very hot evening. We managed to survive the dash from the subway into this cute little front room, and settled in with refreshing cider and wine, and impressive meals from this tiny kitchen. The vibe in this space was very chill and casual, perfect for a week night out.