Gallivanting in Cabbagetown

This was officially the weekend that I had been waiting for since I autographed my lease a few months back - spring time in pure perfection!  Not too hot, not too cold, the ideal conditions for gallivanting in the city and becoming a tourist in my very own neighborhood.

My day of scavenging the city started at my love Malika's place where she cooked me a scrumptious brunch, we caught up on love and life and then we headed out first through The Village and ultimately ended up in historic Cabbagetown.  What I love most about Miss Sharma is that for as long as I've known her she's always been able to bring something new to my experiences which I probably would have never discovered on my own.  Whether it was Persian dining, exploring a hidden pocket in the city, trying a spicy flavoured ice cream (not kidding!) or just offering a different perspective on any situation, I'm truly lucky to have her in my life.

Sappiness aside - Cabbagetown here we come! Cabbagetown's city boundaries are basically Gerrard Street to the South, Wellesley Street to the North, Sherbourne Street to the West and The Don River to the East.  Legend has it that the area was given the name  Cabbagetown because poor Irish and Macedonian immigrants from the 19th Century could only afford to eat the cabbage they grew themselves, supposedly in their front yards. The neighborhood comprises the largest continuous area of preserved Victorian housing in all of North America. 

I don't think I could describe theses houses even if I tried - they were breathtakingly beautiful but not in the obvious and modern way that houses today are but in that vintage, historic, rich way which makes you wonder what kind of stories and memories each house had tangled within it.  I was so taken by the houses that I didn't even stop to take pictures but I did stop and take one of a row of townhouses built together in building type complex on one of the main streets in the area - loved the purple and yellow motif!

We kept walking along the main street and stopped into a Fair Trade Jewelery store with some beautiful designs for engagement and wedding rings and then into a little ice cream parlour where we of course had to share a cup.  MS convinced me to try Spicy Chocolate - interesting at first but the spice was definitely starting to get to me.

Next stop was into this little gift and jewelery shop called Labour of Love - you could probably spend a good hour in this little boutique going through the unique greeting cards and off kilter gift items like books and mugs and custom designed party favors.  They also feature a different art display in their window every month and this month's feature just made me smile - it looked so fun! Wonder if i can make this for my condo...

My attention of course went straight to all the jewelery displays which were full of beautiful original designs from different designers showcasing their own style and imagination.  I was completely taken by one of the designer's pieces - Michael Michaud who's designs are all inspired by nature.  And so on my hand is now this gorgeous rose pewter band inspired by the look of birch bark.

After impulse shopping of course comes more impulse eating so we headed off to Daniel et Daniel for some pastry delights.  And so after a little shopping, a little eating and lots of walking my first weekend of exploring came to an end.  But what a great way to start!! Till next time :)