No Snow

As I work my way through “The 111 Places in Toronto That You Must Not Miss”, I am finding that many of the suggestions really would be nicer to visit in warmer summer weather. I will admit to pushing some of my walks a bit; I did go to see Woodbine Beach which is renowned for it’s impressive volleyball facilities, only I went on a February day to see “Winter Stations”, so I have decided to slow down and save some of the attractions for the nicer weather. 

One of the suggestion is “Christie Pits Tobogganing”, so at least that is a “Winter” activity . . . only problem is that winter never really happened here in Toronto; any snow that fell usually melted the next day, so there was not a lot of Tobogganing happening this winter. So today, we decided to go see this “Place not to be missed” even if it was not to slide down snow covered hills. 

The park is situated on the site of the Christie Sand Pit which was excavated for the sand, gravel and clay found there. It was named for the street it is on, Christie St., which is actually named after the famous “Mr. Christie” of cookie fame. As the sand, gravel and clay was removed, the pit was formed and once it was no longer useful it was turned into a park. Because it is a pit with steep slopes on all sides it has become a popular area to toboggan in winters when Toronto actually gets some winter snow. 

Christie Pits Park

Christie Pits Park is called “a city within a park”, and although this park in the western end of downtown Toronto is only one block square, it really does pack a lot into a small area. The park now contains a full sized regulation baseball diamond and several smaller softball fields. There is a swimming pool complex with water slides and a regulation sized outdoor hockey rink with artificial ice (VERY useful this winter). The park also has a skateboard park, a labyrinth, a picnic area, a playground for little people, basketball courts, and an outdoor wood fired oven. There are trails through the park  to get you to all the handy facilities and lots of comfortable benches. 

The Labyrinth used to be a fountain

We headed out to the park via Subway line two and arrived at the Christie station right beside the park. We walked all the way around the park and then took one of the pathways down into the “pit“ where we wandered around the many pathways and even found our way through the Labyrinth to the very centre. On a cloudy foggy Sunday, the park was well used and it was nice to see the public washrooms were open rather than the usual “Closed for the season” signs we often see in the winter.

Our visit to the park was a pleasant way to pass the day, and we were impressed with the facility; it really is a nice community park and the neighbourhood must be pleased to have a park so well equipped to enjoy even if there was little tobogganing this year.

Walking The Labyrinth

Walking down to a hardware store to get materials for one of my chores when I come to visit Ryan & Ben here in Toronto, we decided to make a morning of it and walk around the downtown area of Toronto. With no serious goal in mind, we were just exploring and looking around when I noticed a sign saying “This way to the Labyrinth”. I certainly did not expect a labyrinth in downtown Toronto so we followed the signs to a lovely park with a large circle made with paving stones in the shape of a labyrinth. There was a sign explaining the history and the story behind the labyrinth so we decided to stay and explore the site. 

Toronto City Hall

I did not know exactly what a labyrinth was and thought it was some sort of maze. However, a labyrinth is not a maze. There are no dead-ends and false trails, you simply follow a complicated route, twisting and turning from the outside into the centre. The path you follow is supposed to be soothing and contemplative, and it was suggested you think of and issue that you need to think about as you walk the pathway through the labyrinth. I really did not do this and I just walked the pathway, but it is sort of interesting and relaxing. The labyrinth is not that large, but pathway through the labyrinth actually takes a while to complete as it constantly turns back on itself, and covers all of the labyrinth twisting and turning back and forth. As we walked the pathway with another guest who had started before us, you often converge and pass each other over and over until you get to the centre. 

Walking the Labyrinth

All in all it was an interesting experience and I was intrigued about the concept of the labyrinth, so when I got home, I decided to look into it on the internet. I discovered that there is a labyrinth Society that maintains the site but also is part of a larger network of labyrinths over Ontario. I discovered that there are almost 150 Labyrinths scattered over the province and this particular one is based on a labyrinth outside Paris France. I found that most of them are located close to or in churches. Many are public but there are also quite a few private labyrinths. Many, including this one, are paved with coloured paving stones, some are painted or decorated with tile and other ornamentation. Some are done in grass and gardens and one was constantly updated and changed with chalk; that would take dedication . . . .

At the Centre!

I’m glad we found this interesting Toronto attraction, and I am sure that the homeless tenting around the outside of the labyrinth get some enjoyment watching tourists like us walking back and forth, in and out, going nowhere except to the centre.