Doors Open - Our Visit To The Normally Off-Limits Places In Our City

 Have you ever wished you could go inside a building that is normally off-limits to you?  Well, once a year in Toronto you can.  There is an event called Doors Open where selected buildings are open to the public that are normally closed.  This year there was a list of over 200 buildings and sites.  We chose to visit two on the Toronto Island.  We took a ferry boat to Hanlan's point (named after Ned Hanlan who was a rower).  This is a beautiful part of the island chain.  You can come here for a picnic or BBQ or even a dip in the water at the beach.

Our first stop was to see Gibralter Point Lighthouse.  This lighthouse was completed in 1808 and is the oldest standing structure in Toronto.  It was in active use until 1958.  The first keeper was named JP Rademuller.  Neal has wanted to go inside the lighthouse for as long as I can remember.  Apparently this lighthouse is suppose to be haunted.  Who know if it is or not but it was really interesting to climb the 90 steps up to the top.  The stairway is extremely narrow and stops part way up where you must climb a ladder the rest of the way up.  If you have problems with small spaces this is not the place for you.  The steps are narrow as is the passage all the way up.  Once you reach the top where the light is you have the most amazing view of the city.  It's well worth the climb.

 Here is a photo of Neal and I with the current lighthouse keeper.  This fellow still maintains the lighthouse and is the historical story teller.  This lighthouse is no longer functioning as it is now landlocked as the sand has built up around the lighthouse.

 Here is a beautiful photo taken at the top of the lighthouse of our city's skyline.  You can see the CN Tower (the tall building) and the Roger's Centre (the short dome next to the CN Tower).  That is where the Jays play baseball and where you can go for a concert.

 This is the light inside of the lighthouse.

 Here we are trying to catch our breath after climbing up all 90 steps.

 Our next stop was directly across the walkway from the lighthouse.  This is an artist colony.  All sorts of painters, sculptors, writers and various other artists can rent out space to do their craft in a quiet and peaceful environment.

 These are two examples of some of the installations we saw while we were there.  We even got to meet a few of the artists and talk to them about their work.

This is on the ferry back to the city.  If you should ever be interested in seeing some of the cool places that Doors Open has to offer just check out their website.  There are some very fun places to visit.