Unable to bear the thought of spending another day not going outside (even though it’s a perfect grey and rainy day for sitting doing nothing inside), we went to Casa Loma. Built at the start of the 20th Century by a wealthy Canadian, it looks like a castle. We caught the subway up to Dupont then went for lunch at a small cafe called Rose and Sons.

I was sure there was a sign on the door that said they made burgers but it had more of a breakfast/brunch menu. Glen got bacon and eggs while I had this deconstructed caesar salad. It was quite tasty, there was a whole cos (or romaine) lettuce that had been grilled with an anchovy dressing inside it, a couple of slices of grilled pumpkin (or squash) and half a tiny chicken (jw bird they called it). Nom nom nom.

After lunch, we walked up the street, climbed the steps and went into Casa Loma. Though the place looks castle-like, the guy who owned it, Sir Henry Pellatt, had a thing for modern conveniences and wanted the latest of everything. In his bathroom he had a shower that had a shower head at the top in the centre, with jets coming out of four pipes that run down to the floor. All over body clean. And the bathroom was done all in marble.

We collected the free audio guide from the gift shop downstairs and set off. The downside of collecting the audio guide from downstairs is that the first number you come across is number 26. While there’s nothing to stop you from pressing number 1, your natural instinct is to start with the first number you see, so it’s kind of like starting a book in the middle. But we managed and pieced the story together. I never did press number 1 though.

There’s a tunnel that connected the main house to the stables and garage over the road, which was pretty cool, and “secret” passages in his study that went upstairs and downstairs. We explored every room, including the big Scottish tower, where you can go all the way to the top on the inside.

There was a wedding going on while we were though which meant we couldn’t get into the conservatory. And while we were there the rain started bucketing down so we couldn’t go into the garden which was unfortunate as I would have liked to get a different view of the outside.

Interestingly, Casa Loma has been used in a number of movies including X-Men, Chicago and The Skulls. Different rooms in the house have been featured. Oh, and there’s an unfinished indoor swimming pool in the basement. Basically, the war came along, construction on the house stopped, and then Pellatt lost all his money. Sounded like the City of Toronto were a bunch of bastards back then and happily pushed Pellatt until he was forced to sell the house (to the City for a greatly reduced price).

Having watched Clue yesterday, my mind was also keyed into the names of the rooms and the potential for murders to be committed in the conservatory, library, billiard room, hall and kitchen. There were a couple of five foot high candlesticks which could have easily caved in someone’s skull.

So that’s another attraction done from the list. Wouldn’t mind checking out the building, from the outside, when the snow comes.

We braved the rain after we’d finished and went for a coffee at Ezra’s Pound, which was nearby and recommended to us by our friend Sophie. Then we caught the train home.

Casa Loma

Amazing carved detail on the wood panelling around this room.

Organ in the main hall.

The main hall. The people on the right are lined up, waiting for the bride to walk from the room at the end to the conservatory.

Lady Pellatt’s drawing room.

I forget what this room was called. But it was on the second floor.

Kids playing in the rain. Looks like fun.

And on a side note: I’m going to have to find out how to rectify the fish-eye distortion on my camera’s lens. It’s annoying me.