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The Toronto Christmas Market: An Adopted Tradition
With restrictions in place due to the COVID pandemic, Christmas festivities are quite muted this year. So I thought I would attempt to boost the holiday spirit by sharing some memories of the Toronto Christmas Market past. Started just over ten years ago, this month-long seasonal festival has quickly become a favourite of all ages. And no wonder! For not only does it light up Toronto’s historic Distillery District at the darkest time of the year, it also offers a smorgasbord of tasty treats and unique gift ideas. A Christmas Fantasyland I love visiting the Distillery District at any time, in part because it is home to my favourite local…
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Market Day in Bruges – Linens
Having finished my stroll through the farmers’ market in Bruges’ Grote Markt – Market Square – it was time to move on to the surrounding shops. It was opening time as I approached my first – the lovely Home Linen. The proprietress was completing her store-opening tasks as I entered, putting items on display outside to attract customers. As I was her first of the day, I had the place to myself while she wrapped up her chores. As the name suggests, this shop specializes in beautiful, locally handmade, linens for the home. I am a sucker for white linen so I felt like a kid in a candy shop here.…
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Market Day in Bruges – Grote Markt
I had only a few hours left in the gorgeous, medieval, Belgian city of Bruges before I departed for Brussels, my final destination of this European adventure. The previous couple of days had been spent getting re-acquainted with this charming city and exploring the surrounding countryside. I had first visited Bruges over 20 years earlier, in part to take a lace-making course at the Kantcentrum – Lace Centre. This time during my wanderings, I had made mental notes of several shops that I wanted to visit before leaving. There were three in particular that I had in mind and all were located in the vicinity of the Grote Markt –…
