Toronto. Summer in the city.

Five days in the city, and I got a little bit of everything: Multicultural and eco-dramatic Kensington Market, gibberish Chinatown, and flauting Little Italy. In the middle of all this the Art Gallery of Ontario, a building like a whale stranded on concrete.





Pleased to meet you, strawberry!









My couch was on the 19th floor in "the Village", the gay neighbourhood downtown. A room with a view. And breakfast. And a bike. And lots of obscure Scottish jokes. (Once I could handle the accent, I still didn't always understand when to laugh.)


Gay, queer, transvestites, and how-ever-they-can-be-different people are getting prepared for the pride parade next weekend. Downtown Toronto reminded me of Palermo in 2001. The rainbow-coloured flags in Sicily said: "pace" (peace). The very same flags in the Village are saying: "You belong!"



Posing on Oliver's balcony






A cute young couple of British couchsurfers joined us for the weekend. I was so proud, I could show them at least the basics of touristy Toronto.








NXNE is a music festival. It took us a whole day to figure out what it stands for: North by North-East. Live music on the streets and squares made for a good start into the summer nights.








On Monday I biked along the shore of Lake Ontario. Wonderful recreational escapes, loads of green, and some beaches. Pretty crowded for a weekday before the end of school.