Sat, Oct 30 2010 - Hallowe'en Chocolate Hike! ~13 km (View Original Event Details)
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It's been a chilly fall, and the day before Hallowe'en was forecasting a pretty low high, with chance of rain. Still, most of us were determined to get our chocolate cravings satisfied, regardless of the weather!
We met at our secret meeting spot, and as we got introductions out of the way, I casually mentioned that there was a *chance* that by the end of the hike some of us would be sick of chocolate. I got a lot of "ya, right"s out of that. Well, you never know! Some people really love chocolate! Maybe this would be the group that couldn't get enough. :)
At any rate, we bundled up and headed out. Luckily, someone besides myself was paying attention, as I was chatting away and missed our very first stop: Chocolatease! I bought a Lavender and a Green Tea chocolate from there. A couple of people skipped buying from this first stop, but most did find something new and interesting to try out (chilli chocolate, anyone?)
Next, up and over to Mount Pleasant, then down to LeFeuvre's. It's quite an old establishment, and was family run for a long time. The lady that runs it now is always thrilled to see us, and pleasant and patient as can be. Here one could get orange pumpkin chocolates, plastic coffins to fill with chocolates, or cute ghosts as well. I got the milk chocolate snapper (think turtles) and a dark orange.
Now for the long hike over to Bayview, along a beautiful residential road. The folks in this neighbourhood take Hallowe'en pretty seriously! There were ghosts hanging from trees, spider webs, tomb stones, skulls, and of course jack o'lanterns every which way! Jenna could not stop taking pictures!
Eventually we arrived at "The Chocolate Messenger". It's a little roomier than the first two stops, and they have so many colourful truffles! Here I bough a vodka orange, and I think a coconut (guess I'll find out when I eat it!)
By now it's warming up outside, and I take my jacket off. The rain they were originally calling for was called off, and the high was jacked up to 14! In retrospect, we got *really* lucky because the next day (Hallowe'en), it snowed in Toronto and only got up to 5!
This is where we stop for a Montreal bagel at the Bagel House, and get a bathroom break. Mmmm… carbs to keep us going and soak up some of the sugar (yes, that's like sugar soaking up sugar, but let's just run with it, shall we?)
After we rest and recharge, it's off south and then Maureen leads us along a path back to Mount Pleasant, and then through the cemetery to Yonge street. What a great shortcut for our Hallowe'en Hike!
Xococava. We don't even have to ask them if they make their own chocolates on site, they are making some when we get there! The aroma fills our senses, and revives our lust for chocolate. People are clamouring to get a look at everything, and the regular customers are surprised by the line up! By now we can't remember how many shops we've even been to, yes, this is our fourth. Wow. Only about half way done! Here I buy the "Spanish" set of five chocolates, plus two Olive Oil ones for good measure.
Next it's around the corner to the one on St. Clair, but it's closed. Shut down. For lease. Oh well, it wasn't my favourite anyway. We head over to Avenue, and down. Nice to be walking downhill for a while, but what a mess! Construction is going on (luckily not actively while we were heading down) and the scenery isn't the best. Never mind, we have a nice long walk whereby we get a good chance to chat and get to know each other better.
Felice chooses here to finish her hike with us. She has tonnes to do later, including going out for Hallowe'en fun and parties!
MoRoCo on Yorkville. The $3 per chocolate store. Most of us bought at least one for the novelty of it all. I chose one that at least a couple others did too: Monkey in the middle. Jam with organic peanut butter!
Five down, three to go!
Just around the corner on Cumberland is Simone Marie Belgian chocolates. They have better prices, but the chocolates don't say what they have in them, so the French lady has to keep telling us. I am sure there's a better way!? The chocolate I bought there, with cinnamon and ginger, is the first one I eat for the whole day!
Now we get to hike down Church street, and see it during the day. Not that exciting, really. But on Sunday night the road will be closed for partying, Village-Style for Hallowe'en!
Adam and Eve. The stock is down, and we find out that they are closing for good (barring a Hallowe'en Miracle) the next day! That's really sad, cuz they are/were one of the nicer shops on our hike. I got a lavender (I forgot that I bought one at the first place!), and orange/lemon, and a mango.
Finally… and is everyone still up for the long hike to Soma? Yes, everyone is in! Jenna leads us down and over, down and over, weaving around the roads until we arrive. Even on this grey October day, it's pretty busy there. I wonder around, and finally settle to buying two "flavour of the month": Sumac, and one balsamic vinegar, plus a spicy hot chocolate with milk to go. We manage to score a table and hang out for a bit. Jane says her goodbyes, and heads out. Once we're finished our drinks, we all get up, too. On the way back out, we pass a wedding party, where the photographers are jumping out onto the road whenever the light is red to try to get some pictures. And of course there's no stopping Jenna, either! She takes a last few pix of the day, then also says goodbye to us.
So, in the end, this was the longest TOC Chocolate hike yet! 16 km from start to Movenpick (where we lost Grace and Jonathan). (I had forgotten my trusty GPS, but mapped it out thanks to the internet!) So four weary travellers were left. We wandered around the newly renovated restaurant, and each chose our favourite refuelling dinner. Pasta, pizza, potatoes and chicken!
So to everyone: THANK YOU for coming out and sharing a wonderful day with me touring the special treasure troves hidden away in our fabulous city. My hips are sore today, so I didn't get that run in, but I promise to go tomorrow! I hope to see you all soon!
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.