It almost seemed as if Toronto didn't want us there. We were happy to be there; we were enthusiastic about exploring. But it became a running joke - by the end of Saturday, we were 0 for 4. It's tough being a spontaneous traveler, trying not to preplan before we've tested the wind. But some things require a bit of forethought - things like Les Miserables and a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game. (Silly to think there would be tickets left for that!)

On the other hand, we got to do exactly what we were meant to do in Toronto. First, we strolled through Kensington Market, a huge street market a la Portobello Road. "Portuguese spice merchants, Chilean butchers, Italian fishmongers, Laotian restaurants, Jamaican fast food - you name it, you can probably find it," advised our guidebook. As for us, we had a boring old - but authentic - Chinese lunch.

Failing organized events, we thought we'd just wander a bit. The Harbourfront Centre was pretty, though deserted - did we mention it was Thanksgiving weekend? Definitely not the same kind of Thanksgiving as the US. We ate fresh fish at the Pier 4 Storehouse Restaurant, a "casual waterfront hideaway" in their own words. (I'm beginning to notice a trend of visiting places on the water and eating all of their fish.)

For the evening, I wanted to do something entertainment-wise, and Second City sounded familiar and fun. We had to hurry though, as the show started about half an hour after we finished eating. So we practically ran uptown (cramping all the way), only to find that... they had moved. 0 for 4. Thankfully, they had only moved up the block, and we scooted into the last two seats. Phew. It was great seeing a show with a distinctly Canadian voice. They talked about America a LOT, it seemed. There was a skit called "Thank you, America" that expressed gratitude for rather dubious things, such as right-wing conservatism. After the show, it was back downtown to get the car, stopping for a drink at the funnily appropriate Lone Star Bar and Grill.

We had the next morning to get to a few touristy things we missed. First was the CN Tower, getting there in plenty of time to be on the first elevator up (a key goal, we've learned). While I molested the inner walls, Clint somehow found the courage to walk out onto the glass floor.

And then. And then came my favorite part of this trip. On the way to the airport (45 minutes alloted for this excursion!) we stopped at the Black Creek Pioneer Village. Absolutely wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. It's a recreation of a village from the 19th century - the farm it's on and a few of the buildings are original, but other ones have been moved in from other local areas. (How?) It helped that the day was crisp and autumny, but it was so enchanting - tinsmith shop, grain mill, one-room brick schoolhouse, broom maker's shop, town meeting house. Love it, love it, love it. Love the herb garden outside the doctor's "mansion", love the cider mill that processed 300 bushels of apples per family, love the forged iron decorations outside the blacksmith's. Love the idea of a community where every person is needed. Love harvest time and growing and processing what you need - flour, cider, pumpkin. We didn't spend nearly enough time here.

I asked for a pioneer village for Christmas. Pleeeease, Santa, don't make it 0 for five.