Snow falls softly and silently on me as I walk home. Lost in thought, I turn the corner and see an ad for winter escapes -- or sun holidays as they call them in Europe. And that sparks my imagination.
Yes, it's splendid to travel the world -- and I've done lots of it throughout my life -- and it can be especially tempting at this time of year. But I'm also deeply attached to this particular part of the planet and have come to appreciate the splendid things in my own backyard. Things that I truly love year-round.
And I'll bet you have your own local favourites. So, let's exchange. I'll tell you the Seven Wonders of My World if you'll tell me yours.
- Toronto Islands. A short ferry ride away from the financial district, there is a wee group of islands with a boardwalk on one side and a breathtaking view of the skyline on the other. It's a great place to take a breather, winter or not.
- Toronto is an eater's city. People from all over the world now call Toronto home, so there's lots and lots and lots of great food to be had (don't let rumours of poutine or beaver tails put you off the scent of the truly great meals).
- Toronto is for les flaneurs. It's a walker's city -- endless neighborhoods to explore, cafés for when one needs a break, and decent sidewalks (yes, that counts, especially when there's snow about). It's mostly flat, but there are also ravines that loop through the city if you're in the mood for a challenge.
- Weather. Oh, it's a changeable part of the world -- we range from minus 40 to plus 40 (that's Celsius). We love to complain about it. But I wouldn't have it any other way. The storms are great, too!
- CN Tower. Once the "world's highest freestanding structure," it no longer holds that title. But it still looms magnificently over the city, and hosts a spectacular glass floor to scare out-of-town guests.
- Maple syrup. I'll never forget when my Grade Three class went to my grandfather's sugar bush. They even poured the sweet stuff onto snow for us to eat. Beat that, snow cone!
- Kayaking in the Great Lakes. OK, this is one for later in the year, when the ice melts. I love Georgian Bay -- part of Lake Huron -- best of all. It's blue, blue, blue forever. And the pink granite rocks along the shore are stunning -- and kinda like the skull of the earth peeking through (I always stop and give them a little scratch).
OK -- now it's your turn. What are the seven wonders of your world? What's splendid in your backyard at this time of year -- or any other? I know you've got some gems to share that we might know about. Do tell!
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Julia Moulden is an author, speaker and columnist. Read her HuffPost archive, which includes more about the New Radicals and the first columns about her upcoming book "RIPE."
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www.happierthanabillionaire.com
Glad you liked my column -- sooo important to just love the place we are.
Keep up the inspiring articles.
My young niece & nephew
The view of the skyline & mountains of Vancouver
The Pacific Ocean & beaches a few blocks from where I live
The quiet and steady strength of Canadians
The simplicity, silence & comfort of my little home
The Mystery of our Humanity no matter where I am
Grand kids.
The continental divide in my back yard.
Mornings on the deck.
Evenings on the deck.
The Hobbits in my mind.
All critters. (especially dogs & bunnies)
Hmmmm...7 wonders of Munich, Germany. Not hard.
1. Living directly across the street from the Maximillian Park. Lots and lots of doggie-walkers like me!
2. Living close to the Isar river, this river with its changing moods - Munich is the only european city that has a wild river flowing through it. Originates in the Karwendel Alps in Austria.
3. The 2 minute walk to the river banks where I hunt (and find!) fascinating fossils embedded in its stones
4. Gasteig Cultural Center next door - housing the city library, the music conservatory, the philharmonic and the "Volkshochschule" which offers daily lectures, seminars, classes, sports.
5. Lots of sidewalk cafes which come to life all year around - whenever the sun shines.even winter sun-worshipers just bundle up in coats blankets (provided by cafes) and congregate.
6. the Biergarten in the summer, down the street - with big chestnut trees, picnic tables where we love to take a lazy picnic lunch along and drink a "halbes" Hofbräu beer. Not on workdays ;-)
7. Being close to my daughter here in Munich, to my son in Portland via Internet, having my husband to share cozy companionship with and wonderful friends, musician-colleagues of my husband´s. with whom we share so much.
Enough yet?the alps an hour´s drive to the south, the many mountain lakes where I love to paddle my kajak. My Taekwondo class 2x weekly...Can´t stop bragging! ;-)
1. Toronto Islands -- in winter some of my best photos are taken in Feb after riding the ferry like an ice breaker over the semi-frozen harbour
2. The ravines ... truly unexplored little oasis's in the urban jungle
3. The neighbourhoods -- yes I'm a flaneur with my camera. It is where I got my start
4. The cultural activités,,, esp the AGO where I spend most of my lunch hours when I'm not doing the flaneur thing
5. Carter Bay on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron
6. The diversity of the city and the 72 languages spoken in our public schools
7. Being able to drive around with the windows open and not being eaten alive by mosquitoes like where I grew up :-)
Following your 7 wonders:
1. The miles and miles and miles of white sandy beaches. My favorite is Malibu- its not crowded, and I can peep into the houses of the rich and famous
2. LA is a huge city with a large multicultural population and though there's too much dreadful fast food, we can also eat Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Tibetan, Ethiopian, Afghani, French, Italian, Mexican, etcetera...
3. LA is also a city of neighborhoods and each one has at least one fantastic coffee shop, bakery, ice cream store...
4. Weather? Yesterday (28th January) we went for a walk in our neighborhood - 77 degrees F -and the magnolias and flowering cherries which were full of blossoms.
5. Watts Towers. The 17 interconnected structures which were built by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia from 1921 to 1954, are constructed from steel pipes wrapped with wire mesh embedded with pieces of tile, porcelain, shells and glass.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Towers]
6. One food? I'd have to say "Fish tacos"
7 I cant decide whether its the 120 acres of gardens at the Huntington Library, and Botanical Gardens
or being able to hike in secluded canyons which feel like you're in the middle of nowhere but are less than 30 minutes from home