More of Toronto: Wandering the Rouge

Okay, so maybe I'm just partial to the area that I grew up in, but to my mind, Scarborough really just is one of the prettiest parts of Toronto. In addition to taking my friend out to visit the Bluffs, we also went for a bit of a wander in the Rouge Valley, my favourite place to soak in some much needed nature as a kid.

A hiker on one of the meadow trails in the Rouge Valley.

At 40km square, encompassing the Rouge River Watershed that runs the length of the Scarborough-Pickering border and stretching from Oak Ridges Moraine in the north to Lake Ontario in the south, Rouge Park was Canada's first National Park, and now has the honour of becoming our first Urban National Park. It's also home to Canada's largest wetland at Rouge Beach Park (known to locals as The Estuary) and a number of national historic sites.

A view of the valley from one of the hill tops. Taken in mid-September when the colours were only just beginning to hint at a change.

While I love the Rouge year round, my favourite time to visit is in the fall when it truly becomes apparent just how the area got it's name. With this year's extended summer, the colours were only beginning to hint at a change when we were there. Fortunately for everyone else, that means the fall colours are still in bloom - and I'd definitely suggest that everyone take advantage of the lovely weather we've been having to enjoy them! 

Rouge Beach Park, where the Rouge River meets Lake Ontario. Favourite local fishing spot and summertime hangout.

One of the best things about the Rouge is that there is something for everybody, meandering valley-walks, relaxing beaches and more strenuous uphill climbs. There's even tobogganing for the kids in the winter. For more info on Rouge Park, conservation, how to get there and the view points and hiking trails within it, check out the official Rouge Park and Toronto City websites.

My favourite part. The Rouge Beach Estuary, part of Canada's largest wetland. This place is beautiful in the summer, but even more fun in the winter when it freezes over and local kids clear the ice for some neighbourhood games of hockey.

For those who don't live in the east end of the city, never fear, the whole Greater Toronto Area is dotted with (admittedly smaller) parks like the Rouge. Some of my favourites are out near Burlington and Hamilton. I find the aptly named Rattlesnake Point to be especially lovely.

A Toronto Gem: The Scarborough Bluffs

It always shocks me how tourists often seem to know so much more about what there is to see and do in a city they're visiting than the locals do. Maybe it's that locals miss out on reading the guidebooks, or maybe it's just that we get so caught up in our day-to-day lives and the mystique of travel that we forget to stop every once in a while and appreciate what's around us. In Toronto especially, I think we also get tripped up by the fact that the rest of our great country has such stunning landscape on offer (particularly in the west) and assume that anything we could have must pale in comparison. While we don't have any Rocky Mountains here, that doesn't mean our landscape isn't just as stunning (we are, after all, home to the Niagara Falls).

One of the estuarine inlets at the base of the bluffs. They'll full of fish, frogs and other life forms.

Proof that some good things do, indeed, come from Scarborough, perhaps one of my favourite oft-missed spots in the city are the Scarborough Bluffs - a 15km long escarpment running along the northern coast of Lake Ontario that reaches up 90m (or 25 stories) at it's highest point. Wonderful to visit in any season (though the beach can get quite crowded in the summer), I recently had the chance to explore them again with a friend who was visiting from Scotland in early September.  

A view of the bluffs from the beach.

The views of the bluffs are just stunning - but no more so than is suggested by its history. The bluffs are what remain of the eroded shoreline of Glacial Lake Iroquois, which covered an enlarged area of Lake Ontario and sat at the base of a large northern ice sheet during the last ice age (approximately 13,000 years ago). Surprisingly, the bluffs actually represent the last remaining geological record of this period in North America, making them incredibly important geologically. Unfortunately, due to their sandy nature, the bluffs are eroding fast - at a rate of about one meter per year. This isn't all bad though, one of Toronto's major attractions, the Toronto Islands, were actually formed by erosional deposits from the bluffs that were swept westward into the lake during a large storm in 1858! 

Looking out toward Lake Ontario. We were lucky enough to be there when it was warm.

There are a number of places from which you can enjoy the Bluffs, but two of my favourite (and two of the most easily accessible) are Bluffers Park at the base of Brimley Road and the Scarborough Bluffs Park above it east of Midland Avenue. Parking at Bluffers is free Monday-Friday before 5pm. To get there using public transit, take the number 12 or 12B Kingston Road bus to Brimley and then walk the 2km (10mins) south to the park. Just remember that the route in heads down, so you'll have quite the uphill on the walk back - it's definitely worth it though!

Cycling in Gwangju

Last weekend I (finally) managed to take advantage of some gorgeous weather and the need to run errands, and went on my first true bike ride around town since arriving here. Well... I suppose that's not entirely true. Having been so excited about finally acquiring a bike and the time to use it, I also went on a bike ride the weekend previous  - in the pouring rain (sorry Jason for dragging you along!). While monsoon season was due to start a month or so ago, it only truly started two weeks ago, just in time for me to insist on riding my bike :D. It was actually a great deal of fun (I rode in the rain plenty while living in England, but never in a true downpour!). It was not, however, conducive to taking pictures. This past weekend's ride was just the opposite, with gorgeous nearly clear skies allowing for some lovely photo ops. Check out the pictures below to see some of the sights I regularly see on my bus rides into town.

Gwangju proper from the West with Mudeung Mountain in the distance.

Looking southward along the main branch of the river. This is Sangmu or 'New Downtown' district of Gwangju. (I actually live quite close to the 'NewNew Downtown' District which is quite wonderful, but of which I, sadly, have no pictures since it seems to be raining whenever I go!)

Some lovely paths and parks along the river. One of the things I love most about Korea is that no space ever seems to be wasted. Parks, sports fields and outdoor workout stations fill any available spaces - including those located under overpasses!

Crossing the river into down town after it curves eastwards.

Northward toward some high-rises that seem to permeate every Korean city.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my ride into town, it was possibly one of the most harrowing rides I have ever undertaken. I live out on the west side in an area that is separated from the rest of the city by two arms of the river and the expansive area of floodplain between then. Rather than cycling the winding route along the river, I'd decided to take the more direct route along the roads. While the freeways and overpasses were quite comfortable to cycle, with wide and well maintained cycle paths, these all but disappear on the larger, non-freeway, roads and cycling becomes either a fight not to be run down by the buses (who I previously thought only had it out for motorists and pedestrians, nice to know they choose their targets in a fair and equitable fashion :P), a jungle expedition through thick tall grass, or a game of thread the bike through the cars parked up on the sidewalk (this latter route, though time-consuming, soon became my favourite). While I've been told by many cyclist friends that my normally 45min bus ride into town is much faster on a bike, this route took me nearly 1 hour and 30 mins! I'm not sure whether this is due to my inability to cycle rapidly, the thirty-some-odd degree heat (Celsius), the amount of times I stopped for photos or the fact that I have no gears on my bike. Non-the-less, it was a thoroughly pleasant ride.

After finally making it into town and running all my errands, I saw that I still had plenty of time until dusk and decided to check out some of the sights that I had here-to-fore not had the time to see. Chief of these was 5.18 memorial park in Sangmu, which celebrates the lives and deaths of the  hundreds to thousands (the death toll is not known) of Gwangju citizens (mostly students) who took up arms from May 18th to 27th in 1980 and died fighting for democratic rights for all Koreans. Known as the Gwangju Massacre, the event and the sacrifice of the martyrs is considered significant by all Korea, with May 18th established as a national holiday. It carries a special weight here in Gwangju where the incident occurred and where many people remember the event and victims personally.

The park itself is absolutely lovely (as any park celebrating life, liberty and perseverance really should be), with lovely monuments, bike and walking paths, fountains, workout stations and shrines. The atmosphere is also supremely friendly and warm, with people greeting one another and conversing with strangers. There was even an older man playing the accordion at one of the pavilions and a group of flute playing university students at another to complete the experience. It was almost impossible to remember that one was right in the heart of downtown!

5.18 Monuments

The monument from behind.

The pagoda atop the hill in the park.

A view from the pagoda toward the Northwest where I live, you can see the flood plains behind the buildings and the "New New Downtown" area even further behind.

Looking Southwest-ward toward the 'New Downtown Area'.

Looking to the East

To the East with Mudeung and Old Downtown. Check out the storm clouds rolling in.

The lovely pagoda and fountains at the base of the park.

Riding home along this route, I also had the opportunity to ride along the floodplains which, while not exuding the prettiest scent in the world, make for some beautiful scenery.

One of the other things I love about Korea is how friendly and welcoming everyone is. After rejoining the river for the final leg of my journey home, and just as my stomach was beginning to make itself known, I was waved over by two young families (with 3 lovely children each!) who were having a barbecue under a bridge. Inviting me over and sitting me down, they ensured I was well fed as we watched the sun set over the river, stuffing me with meat, beverages, mouth watering sea food, side dishes and desert (the children were insistent that I share their cookies and fruit). Such warmth is both incredible and normal. While I was a special guest in the sense that I was a foreigner and, so, the adults had many questions for me and the kids delighted in showing me their English, many passing Koreans were waved over as well and such sharing of food is a regular practice when eating outdoors. Love it!

  

The kids playing along the river.

The bridge after sundown.

Looking toward the Wolgok-dong/Hanam area at dusk.