| Life works in really strange and
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| | noteworthy past events and are titled "A
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| wonderful ways. At the beginning of this
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| | Bruce Bell History Project". So there is
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| week I talked to my brother in Austria on
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| | no doubt that this is a real expert, even
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| the phone, and he said he'd been reading
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| | a local celebrity.Just outside the St.
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| this German travel magazine and there was
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| | Lawrence Market used to be the terminus
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| a big write-up about a Toronto-based tour
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| | of the Underground Railroad, the pier
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| guide who provides culinary tours of the
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| | where thousands of the former American
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| St. Lawrence Market, one of my brother's
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| | slaves arrived after having made their
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| favourite places that he discovered on
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| | secret passage from the American south to
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| his recent trip to Toronto.I asked my
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| | Rochester and on to freedom in Toronto.
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| brother what this fellow's name was and
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| | It's amazing how much history there is,
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| he looked it up and said "Bruce Bell". I
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| | even in a comparably young city such as
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| did an internet search and within a few
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| | Toronto, and I thoroughly enjoyed
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| seconds I had located Bruce Bell Tours;
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| | listening to Bruce's unique stories.From
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| and I knew I had to meet this person.
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| | the St. Lawrence Market building we
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| Bruce Bell, the popular history columnist
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| | walked north through a courtyard to
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| for the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood
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| | another former City Hall of Toronto by
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| Community Bulletin, is also an award
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| | the name of St. Lawrence Hall. It was the
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| winning playwright, actor, standup
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| | former city hall of the City of York,
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| comedian and the honourary curator of the
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| | that was officially renamed the city of
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| most photographed building in the city of
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| | Toronto (an Indian word for "meeting
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| Toronto, the historic Gooderham Building
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| | place") in 1856. St. Lawrence Hall is a
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| better known as the Flatiron. Bruce just
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| | beautiful classical building, and Bruce
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| recently published a book on Toronto
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| | took us inside to show us the ballroom,
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| called "Toronto - A Pictorial
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| | the most well-preserved original ballroom
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| Celebration".Immediately after I hung up
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| | in Canada. The chandelier is original,
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| with my brother I was on the phone with
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| | was originally lit with coal gas and
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| Bruce, we briefly introduced ourselves
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| | today is illuminated with natural
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| and he said, come down, join me on
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| | gas.This was the heart of Toronto's elite
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| Thursday for my culinary tour of the St.
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| | WASP (white / Anglo-Saxon / Protestant)
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| Lawrence Market. Sure enough, this
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| | society during the 1800s and Bruce shed
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| morning, punctually at 10 am I arrived at
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| | more light on the many behavioural norms
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| the souvenir shop at the main entrance of
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| | of the time. Women were not considered
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| the market and I met Bruce and the other
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| | persons and could not walk on the street
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| participant in our tour, a young
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| | by themselves or accompanied by any man
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| architecture student.As the official
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| | other than their husband. Men had to
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| historian of the St. Lawrence Market
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| | defend their wives' honour in duels and
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| Bruce has special access to all sorts of
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| | sometimes ended up having to shoot their
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| areas of the building that other people
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| | best friend as a result of a harmless (by
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| never get to see. Right away he took us
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| | today's standards) misunderstanding. The
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| up some stairs, pulled out a special key
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| | city and country were run by English
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| and led us into the former mayor's
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| | noblemen, and Catholic immigrants from
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| office, since the market building used to
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| | Ireland, arriving in masses after the
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| be the original city hall of Toronto. The
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| | potato famine of 1849, were despised by
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| building has undergone several
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| | the local ruling class.As a result, the
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| transitions, and the two side wings were
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| | Catholics were segregated, but they did
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| removed to make way for a steel-girdered
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| | receive a spot inside St. Lawrence Hall,
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| shed built in 1904 that was modeled after
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| | a big room called St. Patrick's Hall,
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| the Victoria Train Station in London.From
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| | where they were allowed to congregate
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| the former mayor's office we had a
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| | since they were barred from entering the
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| perfect view of the market and we also
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| | ballroom which was reserved for the WASP
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| had a beautiful vista of the downtown
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| | elite. Irish Catholics had to enter St.
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| skyscrapers and the famous Flatiron
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| | Patrick's Hall through a back staircase
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| Building to the west, and St. Lawrence
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| | since they weren't allowed to mix with
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| Hall to the north. Bruce took us down the
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| | the English aristocracy. The portion on
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| stairs in the market hall itself and
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| | the northeast side of St. Lawrence Hall
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| shared various tidbits of history with
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| | housing St. Patrick's Hall incidentally
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| us. The shoreline of Lake Ontario used to
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| | collapsed in 1967 and was completely
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| be right at Front Street, and after
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| | rebuilt.After St. Lawrence Hall we walked
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| landfill was added, the Esplanade became
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| | through a beautiful Victorian Garden
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| the waterfront, and today several hundred
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| | outside of St. James Cathedral, Toronto's
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| meters of additional landfill have
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| | largest house of worship, and the 5th
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| expanded the city's territory to a new
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| | church in the present location. Bruce
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| waterfront.Under Bruce's guidance we
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| | took us inside and shared more historical
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| started our tour of the shops which
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| | information with us, about the original
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| include bakeries, butcher shops, fish
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| | British settlers of Toronto and ruling
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| mongers, fruit stands, delis, dessert
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| | elite of the times, which included the
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| places and specialty vendors of all
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| | famous Bishop Strachan, the creator of
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| kinds. The first place he took us to was
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| | St. James Cathedral. Bruce showed us the
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| a bakery that also serves lunches, and we
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| | various stained glass windows that adorn
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| got a delicious taste treat of smoked
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| | the church, all of which were crafted at
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| salmon and backbacon, each on a small
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| | different times. Especially stunning are
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| piece of bread. I am not usually a big
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| | the Tiffany stained glass windows on the
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| fish eater, but this savoury morcel was
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| | east side which have a particularly
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| delicious. At another store we got to
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| | intense coloration.St. James Cathedral
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| sample "Indian candy" - smoked salmon
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| | marked the end of our culinary and
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| cured in maple syrop. What a treat!We
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| | historic tour of the St. Lawrence Market
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| walked by some of the butcher shops, many
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| | area. We had received a great
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| of which have been in the same family for
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| | introduction to Toronto's history and
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| generations. I admired the creatively
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| | enjoyed the diverse culinary delicacies
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| presented cuts of pork loin stuffed with
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| | of Toronto's greatest market. Bruce's
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| spinach, cheese and bacon, a perfect
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| | entertaining and informative lessons on a
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| solution for a non-chef like me - just
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| | time in Toronto's history when women and
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| stick it in the oven and pull out a
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| | men were segregated, when society was
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| delicious gourmet meal.After a brief tour
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| | strictly regimented by expectations of
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| outside the building where Bruce
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| | etiquette and social status, and when
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| explained the building's history and
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| | Irish and English weren't allowed to mix
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| early Toronto society to us, we went into
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| | made me realize how incredibly far
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| the lower level, where all the dessert
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| | Toronto has come in the last 150
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| shops, fruit stalls and specialty vendors
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| | years.Bruce Bell offers other interesting
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| are located. We got several more samples:
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| | tours about Toronto's Distillery
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| a huge variety of delicious honeys from
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| | District, its Art Deco skyscrapers and a
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| New Zealand, a sampling of speciality
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| | tour called "Comfort and Steam" that
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| jellies and jams, tender white chocolate
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| | takes you through the Fairmount Royal
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| truffles that just melt in your mouth,
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| | York Hotel, Union Station, the Skydome
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| and for dessert - after all these sweat
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| | and the Air Canada Centre, among other
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| treats - Nutella-filled crepes. All the
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| | places. Considering everything that I
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| samples we received were utterly
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| | learned in the St. Lawrence Market tour,
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| delicious.Bruce took us into the bowels
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| | I hope to have a chance to catch another
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| of the building, today mostly used for
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| | one of Bruce's tours and broaden my local
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| storage and refrigeration, but in
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| | knowledge of this city in the near
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| previous times these areas were the men's
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| | future.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of
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| and women's jails. Bruce explained that
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| | a website called Travel and Transitions
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| in the 1850s women had no rights and many
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| | ( Travel and Transitions deals with
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| men simply stuck their wives in prison,
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| | unconventional travel and is chock full
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| especially after child-birth or during
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| | of advice, tips, real life travel
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| menopause, when they got a little cranky.
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| | experiences, interviews with travellers
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| The iron hooks that prisoners were
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| | and travel experts, insights and
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| chained to are still visible on the
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| | reflections, cross-cultural issues,
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| walls.The basement is also decorated with
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| | contests and many other features. You
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| a number of murals that explain Toronto's
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| | will also find stories about life and the
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| history. As the official historian of the
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| | transitions that we face as we go through
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| St. Lawrence Market and a well-known
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| | our own personal life-long
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| columnist of the St. Lawrence Community
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| | journeys.Submit your own travel stories
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| Bulletin, Bruce is actually depicted on
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| | in our first travel story contest ( and
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| the mural. About 15 historic plaques
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| | have a chance to win an amazing adventure
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| throughout a variety of buildings in the
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| | cruise on the Amazon River.
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| downtown area provide insight into
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|
