Kensington Market, Toronto, Canada

Kensington Market

Toronto's most unique neighbourhood, Kensington Market retains its charm and wonderful diversity through its eclectic mix of vintage clothing stores, Latin American grocers, fresh produce, cafes and watering holes. Defiantly independent and progressive, Kensington hosts street festivals like Pedestrian Sundays in the Summer months and December's annual Festival of Lights. Often overlooked but not to be missed is the stretch of Nassau street between Augusta and Bellevue, home to spots like I Deal Coffee, Kid Icarus and This Ain't the Rosedale Library.

History & Background

Originally intended to be the site for large English-style country homes on huge estates, Kensington Market was divided into smaller plots of land with small houses and became home to many of the new immigrants who arrived in Toronto. By the 1920’s Kensington was home to 80 percent of the Jewish population, and was known as the Jewish Market. The market area has seen a transfer of populations, which has added to its rich layers of cultures- Ukrainians, Hungarians, Italians and Portuguese. In the 1960’s Kensington Market narrowly escaped an urban restructuring project that would have torn down the small houses to make way for large apartment-style housing. In the 1970’s Chinatown joined the market as it moved westward to Spadina west.

Today, Kensington Market is a mishmash of many cultures and ages. You will find an array stores, including food, clothing, health food, a knitting shop, and patios and a park surrounded by houses. Today, neighborhood groups work to keep the market local and have successfully prevented chain stores like Nike from infiltrating the market. Other groups are working to prevent gentrification through projects that reinforce local identity and sense of place through story telling projects and online public forums.

Peace Garden in Portugal

Buddha Eden, BombarralThe amazing Buddha Eden is a 35 hectare garden with “6000 tons of marble and granite Buddhas, lanterns, terracotta soldiers and various oriental sculptures,” amongst the hills and trees of the Quinta dos Loridos, an old wine producing estate just outside the dull Portuguese town of Bombarral. The ‘peace garden’ was created by Portuguese businessman Jose Berardo following the destruction in 2001 of the Bamyam Buddhas in Afghanistan. According to the garden’s official website “so saddened and outraged was Mr Berardo of the callous and deliberate destruction of the cultural heritage of the Afghan people ….that he embarked on the creation of his …..project as homage to the Bamyan Buddhas.” Of course the people of Afghanistan are very unlikely to ever be able to console themselves for the loss of their Buddhas by visiting this ‘hommage’ in an obscure corner of a country half way across the world (but then, that’s perhaps just as well, as they would probably want to blow this up too.)

I am having a cup of ice coffee and enjoying the summer beauty. Somehow my thoughts are sent to far away places where women, children and man do not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment I was living. They do not have a place where they can find peace. I felt sad in my heart! I thought of a place in Portugal where one can walk on the paths of peace. The Peace Garden in Bombarral, Portugal. Here are some photos taken there a few years ago. If you have an opportunity pass by and enjoy it. I felt much at peace when I walked them.