Tuesday, September 6, 2011

THE HOUSE ON THE HILL

If you were Rapunzel, would you let down your hair?
For Labour Day 2011, Vince and I, along with a couple of friends from New York, went to Casa Loma.  Although I lived in Toronto for more than five years, yesterday was my first time to visit the majestic house on the hill.

Casa Loma is the former home of Sir Henry Pellatt, a well-known Canadian financier and soldier.  Construction of the castle began in 1911 and it took three years and 300 men to complete it at a cost of $3.5M at that time.

The entire complex included a castle, stables, a greenhouse nearly half-an-acre in size, workman's cottages, and extensive gardens five-acre in size. The castle's pompous plan called for 98 rooms, 5000 electric lights, an electrically operated elevator, a wine cellar, and a marble swimming pool, just to name a few, and of course, towers, secret tunnels and passages! Unfortunately, due to financial misfortune which plagued Sir Pellatt later on, numerous parts of the home were not completed. Sir Pellatt enjoyed this luxurious abode for less than 10 years before he was forced to abandon the castle. 

Sir Pellatt's Drawing Room
One of the many pianos inside the castle
Another piano!
English royalty-inspired guest room
China-inspired guest room
Sir Henry Pellatt's bedroom
A different view of the English royalty-inspired guest room
One of the fountains
A small piece of the extensive gardens
The Fab Four :D
I would love to post more pictures but I don't want to consume all my free Picasa space.  So, anyway, I think what I posted above are enough to give you the idea of Casa Loma's elegance and grandeur.  Just imagine if you actually lived in such place at the time of its stardom.  Must be splendid indeed!

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For more of my travel stories, please check out:  TUESDAY TRAVEL


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My share for:

 

42 comments:

  1. thanks for taking me there... such a nice place...

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  2. you're welcome, rovie. it's my pleasure to share the experience :) thank you for always visiting my blog and leaving comments. really appreciate it.

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  3. HUWAW!!! Amazing!

    You are very lucky to be in such amazing and wonderful place Ate KM.

    You are very blessed. :)

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  4. Very nice!! I liked the pics of the bedrooms - luxury at its finest! ;-)

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  5. PS, the tour felt like i was in a fairy tale scene especially the fountains, gardens, and the tower :)

    Marie, it was amazing, and to think that the people who lived there were not even kings or queens, so how much more those real medieval time castles, right? ;) God bless!

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  6. crystal, you should check it out yourself. jaw-dropping awesomeness :D

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  7. Hola KM. Thanks for frequently coming by at lainyonline.com

    Thanks for sharing your beautiful and amazing visit to the House on the Hill (sounds like the title of my other blog- The Fool on the Hill @ dfoolonthehill.com). I felt like I was there too, kahit sa pics man lang, LOL!

    See you around!

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  8. Hi Lainy ! Thanks for visiting my blog as well and taking time to leave me a comment.

    I should follow your other blogs, because I really enjoy reading Lainy's Musings :) See ya around, then!

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  9. Hi KM. I always take the time to read blogs especially when it piques my interest and for as long as my time permits me to.

    I am glad you enjoyed reading through my ramblings at Lainy's Musings. BTW, thanks for the comment at dfoolonthehill.com. I truly appreciate that.

    I hope to swing by here as frequently as I can.

    Hugs!

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  10. Thanks for the virtual tour! It's a dream destination! Ur so lucky! :0

    Have a great day!

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  11. @ Lainy, your blogs reflect your undeniably very good writing skills. Keep it up ;)

    @ Krizza, thanks for dropping by! Feel free to browse my Tuesday Travel posts for more virtual tours. Take care! :)

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  12. hello, nice blog you have here, i am thinking you might like to exchange link with me so i can visit your site every time i have, if you want to, visit me back here and comment on the exchange link section thanks! http://literasura.blogspot.com

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  13. AY! Nakakataba naman ng puso, hehe. I remember this was the very first post that I left my footprints on at your blog, KM. ANd I got hooked since ;-)

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  14. I only see this in English movies. Thanks for sharing. I hope you can visit my entry, http://travelsofjoyfulmom.blogspot.com/2011/10/tagaytay-highlands.html

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  15. Oo nga, first comment mo ito, lainy girl :D

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  16. wow lovely place and lovely pictures...

    i love that house in the hill..very beautiful..

    visiting from my Denmark post..

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  17. $3.5 M in 1911 is a lot of money! It's a beautiful place. Too bad Sir Pellatt didn't get to enjoy it as much as he should. Why was he forced to leave his home?

    Visiting via Tuesday Travels.

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  18. amazing place. i wish to visit this one day

    visiting from TT

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  19. I would like to let down my hair nice place...Happy TT! Just posted mine hope you visit back...

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  20. Gorgeous photos, KM! There is a house on the hill that you've been to, there is a House on the rock here in Wisconsin as well! Hehe..

    Late TT visit; hope you don't mind. Sharing my MILWAUKEE VISIT FOR A DAY at my blog!

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  21. beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing it with us Sis. I have never been to Toronto. It is near yet so far :-) Dropping some love for Tuesdays Travel, hope that you can visit me back too

    http://www.tropical7107islands.com/2011/11/hamlin-beach-in-rochester-new-york.html

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  22. thanks for the TT visit, guys! :)

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  23. Such a nice place. can't imagine myself living in such a huge castle. but the looks so comfortable. must be hard to maintain.thanks for sharing KM! Your posts always transport me to places I've never been.

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  24. wow thats a great house! thanks for sharing all the details. 3.5M is a lot of money back then. wow! where did he get all those money? lol

    hope u can drop by my entries for WW.
    its Fresh Baked Cookies and
    Jian's First Extracted Toofuses

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  25. thanks for the comments, guys! :)

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  26. So beautiful..Bet you really had the fun touring the place..


    Visiting for WW! Hope you can visit mine too:)

    http://www.cassandrasminicorner.com/2011/12/wednesday-whites-food-steamer.html

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  27. that's a very nice place, so grand! was here for WW!

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  28. At naisingit pa ang post na ito sa Wednesday whites ha... Hehehe

    Ano pa nga ba ang masasabi ko? E di nakiki- meme ulit kagaya mo sis... Hehehe

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  29. thank you, all, for the meme visits :)

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  30. wow~~~ amazing! I would gladly let down my hair if it means a prince would be willing to climb on it. hahaha! I love those photos, something that I only see in movies! thanks for joining WW, KM! Visiting as a host and from my entry, http://culturemedley.com/2011/12/13/pandanon-island-bohol-a-hidden-paradise/

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  31. @ Raya, thanks for hosting and visiting me back :)

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  32. Lovely inside, out!!! How I wish i could visit that place one day:)

    Visiting for TB! Here's mine- hope you can visit too..

    http://www.cassandrasminicorner.com/2011/12/spikes-the-baseball-team-mascot.html

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  33. Wow! what a view Sis KM from the outside and inside views are more beautiful. You are a traveler :-) Visiting for Thursday Brownies, hope that you can return the favor too.

    http://www.mommies2ks.com/2011/12/my-little-girls-brown-gingerbread-man.html

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  34. been here for WW, KM... here again for TB. that looks like a grand palace! hope you could return the visit. Happy new year!
    http://www.ourhomeandhaven.info/lovingly-nappin/

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  35. @ raya, thanks so much for being a suki here :)

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  36. @ wifetoalineman, sa'yo din, thank you for being a suki here :)

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  37. wow! that's good they allowed to take some photos inside the house. Hope to go this place...

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