Here are five things I learned during my afternoon at Casa Loma.
1. It is worth making your way to the third floor and climbing up the spiral stairs, if you are able, to the open-air Norman Tower, for the stunning views of Toronto. Casa Loma sits on top of the escarpment which is the ancient shoreline of Lake Iroquois, predecessor to Lake Ontario, so the uninterrupted views are glorious.
2. The Library, with room for 10,000 books, is pretty much as elegant as I can imagine. The hand-carved wood panels, the glass-fronted bookcases, the frickin’ chandeliers, for goodness’ sake. We’re working on a library renovation at work, so I’m definitely going to suggest this as a model.
3. Life is fleeting. I witnessed a strange and poignant scene in the elegant, Italian stained glass-ceilinged Conservatory, my favourite room in the house.
A sparrow had gotten in, and three, then five, well-meaning staff attempted to catch it with nets, for about 15 minutes, before a wedding which would take place in the Conservatory that evening.
The sparrow put up a strong chase, flitting here and there, before being accidentally struck with the metal edge of one of the nets, and landing in the foliage, dead. Not something you see everyday.
4. Scenes from the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise were filmed at Casa Loma in 1987 in Lady Pellatt’s Sitting Room – ha!
5. The visitor restrooms (bathrooms, washrooms, toilets, whatever) are really something else. Private fully enclosed stalls, marble, mirrors … quite a surprise. Just saying.
I’m not doing the place full justice, obviously, as it is a marvellous historic property, with gardens, stables, etc., and visiting has been a quintessential Toronto experience. It still is.
P.S. When I think of Casa Loma, I will always be reminded of a poem, Wiggle to the Laundromat, from Dennis Lee’s 1974 children’s book Alligator Pie.
Wiggle to the laundromat,
Waggle to the sea;
Skip to Casa Loma
And you can’t catch me!
Casa Loma is museum no. 39 in my #100museums challenge (see 100 Museums Challenge).