A rainier day in Toronto – time for more indoor adventures. I chose a castle and a shoe museum not realizing that a day of stairs was in the offing.

Google Maps is now my true and constant companion. But Google Maps, sadly, does not share every detail of a trip including what might be encountered on a 6-minute walk between bus and destination. Today’s first stop was Casa Loma, an 200,000 square foot private residence built in 1914 for Sir Henry Pellatt who was a financier and soldier, and is reknowned for bringing hydro electricity to Toronto.

What Google Maps failed to tell me was that the 6-minute walk included climbing 102 of the Baldwin Steps which date from the 19th century. I was reminded of my age as I slowly made my way up, passed by young joggers taking far less than 6 minutes to reach the top!

The castle itself is quite remarkable, with all the mod cons of the day in place. Grand staircases, ballrooms, a conservatory with a wonderful floral patterned domed glass ceiling, bathrooms with both small and large tubs, and of course the maids’ staircase hidden away from the main rooms. I was pleased to learn that Sir Henry had been an art collector. On the third floor of the castle is the Group of Seven room which can be viewed only from the doorway. I could see that some of the art was original, but much of it appeared to be prints. The originals were probably sold when Sir Henry fell on hard financial times and was forced to sell Casa Loma.

The audio guide recommended a visit to the two fourth floor turrets which sounded interesting. Sadly, once I climbed the stairs to the top, the turrets were both closed for renovation.

What goes up must come down, they say, so the walk back to the bus included the less strenuous trip down the Baldwin Steps. A good friend and my Top Ten Toronto book both recommended a visit to the Bata Shoe Museum, something I probably would not have chosen otherwise.

First stop in the Shoe Museum is a somewhat chaotic room of shoes over time, and shoes of various religions, and shoes one can wobble around in. I tried to capture the chaos and unintentionally included myself in this photo.

Two beautifully beaded pairs of indigenous footwear caught my attention.

The main exhibit was the use of floral designs in footwear. The room was very dark and the cases reflective, so no photos from me. But it was fascinating to see how floral designs were represented in toe decorations, in the body of the shoe, on the heel. You can see a selection on the Bata website.

I returned to my home away from home to dry off and change shoes, and joined a friend from my Winnipeg (read teenage) days for dinner. It was wonderful to catch up and a lovely dry end to the day.