6 Intriguing Sights in Toronto

Have you ever seen a city made of nails?

No, Toronto isn't made of sharp metallic objects. When I visited City Hall, however, I was amazed by artist David Partridge's Metropolis, a large map that covers an entire wall. It depicts the city with millions of tiny, large and mid-sized nails. Some are hammered in all the way, others not even half way. When viewed from far away, it certainly replicates an aerial view of the city.

Art by nail was fascinating, so I was eager to check out the city's other cultural offerings. At the Royal Ontario Museum I cringed at the dinosaur skeletons that looked as though they meant to eat me, but the rock and mineral exhibit was pure fascination. Glowing, shining and glittering rocks intrigue even those of us who lack the least bit of geological knowledge.

I spent a lot of time studying the Asian exhibits, with their towering golden statues and life-sized Samurai dolls. But my favorite room contained religious artifacts, such as ancient Bibles, Torahs and Korans, as well as beautifully intricate tiles from old mosques.

A fascinating piece of artwork that is often overlooked by tourists is the historical mural painted on the side of the Toronto Sun newspaper building at 333 King St. East. The history of Toronto can be read from left to right in the almost life-size portraits of people and events that changed the world. Our guide informed us that it was about 400 square meters and took ages to complete.

A trip to the city's Medieval Times kept me from evening boredom. Here, actors stage a theatrical production intertwined with a jousting contest while each section of the audience cheers for their assigned knight. We snacked on a dinner of tomato soup, chicken and an unknown piece of meat without any utensils (as they did in those days) and cheered as our knight threw his opponent off his horse and engaged him in sword-to-sword combat.

Casa Loma, a castle built in the early 1900s, looks out over Toronto from a steep hill. There is something so quaint and romantic about stepping back in time to enjoy its medieval and Victorian mix of furniture, secret staircases and ancient swimming pool. Movie posters of films shot in the castle line a wall in the basement; the location was used for Jackie Chan and X-Men flicks. Even a spooky stroll through an underground tunnel payed off when I found myself in an early 1900s barn "guarded" by two medieval knights (or their armor, at least).

Back at City Hall, one small and hardly noticeable structure especially caught my attention: a small pavilion in the Peace Garden. Nearby was an eternal flame that symbolized hope for peace. Our tour guide informed us that the roof of the pavilion was missing a piece and could not be completed until the world was without war.

Toronto is one of the cleanest, most cheerful major cities I have experienced thus far, and I hope to return someday to explore even more of its cultural offerings.