Ema的部落格

在原來短暫五天的多倫多停留，擠出一天去拜訪Ester的父母親、一天汽車作保養，就想說乖乖待在家裡。誰知道我們的好朋友Ting & Joseph夫婦一通電話，便讓我們失守變節了，因為他們不僅安排好活動計畫，甚至還要開車來接我們，有這麼好的待遇，肯定是點頭如搗蒜的答應了。

Joseph先傳了個公園爵士樂的活動海報給我看，問我有沒有興趣，其實只要和他們夫婦一起玩，玩什麼都開心。可不要以為我們的年紀相仿，事實上我們是忘年之交，我們夫婦的年紀和他們父母親的年紀相仿，但是玩在一起、聊在一起，完全沒有違和的感覺。所以只要是我到多倫多，我們一定會相約吃飯、聊天、活動；而他們如果回台灣的話，我一定也會邀他們到家裡來玩，或者安排在台灣的旅行。

話說我們如約地上車，先繞去買了好吃的松露洋芋片，再順便看看多倫多富人區的房子。Joseph把車子停在遠遠的地方，我們頂著大太陽走進公園，這個公園在安大略湖畔，所以不少人在湖畔沙灘戲水或者玩沙子。

我們一路跟著Joseph走，尋找爵士樂表演的會場。找了老半天也不見半點爵士樂的聲音和蹤影，後來在一般常會有表演的場地問了正在路跑的路人，她也確認如果有表演的話，應該也是在這裡。後來Joseph再拿出手機的節目表，我突然發現爵士表演是在July（七月），我們來早了整整一個月，但是Joseph發活動電子檔給我們時，我們居然也沒有發現，因為太相信他了，所以根本沒有仔細認真看。弄錯也不會掃了我們的興，反而增添我們的笑料，而且恐怕要嘲笑他好一陣子了。

這下子爵士音樂會聽不成，天氣又很熱，所以Joseph熟門熟路地把我們帶到一家巿區的PUB，在這種炎熱的天氣喝清涼啤酒，實在是太舒暢不過了。

喝完啤酒，今天的第二個大活動是要去Joseph家吃黎巴嫩烤肉，所以我們先去挑選買了2瓶紅酒，然後又一起去中東超巿拿熱騰騰現烤的外帶美食。回到Joseph家我們便迫不急待張羅起來，特殊的中東沾醬，配上今天剛出爐的pita餅，香氣十足的烤肉，我們吃得不亦樂乎，又是一次的歡樂的相聚，總是要酒酣耳熱賓主盡歡，才心滿意足地被兒子接回家。

Joyful Reunion

During our originally short five-day stay in Toronto, we managed to make time to visit Ester's parents for a day and take care of car maintenance for another day, leaving us thinking we'd just stay put at home. However, our good friends, Ting & Joseph, had other plans. With a phone call, they invited us to join them for an outing, and not only did they organize everything, but they even drove to pick us up. With such warm hospitality, we gladly accepted their invitation.

Joseph sent me a poster for a jazz event in the park, asking if I was interested. To be honest, as long as I'm with their couple, any activity is fun. Don't be mistaken, we aren't close in age. In fact, we have quite a significant age gap, but when we hang out, chat, and have fun together, the age difference is hardly noticeable. So, whenever I'm in Toronto, we always make plans to dine together, chat, and do activities. And when they visit Taiwan, I will definitely invite them over or arrange a trip for them.

As planned, we got in the car and first stopped to buy some delicious truffle potato chips and took a glimpse at the houses in Toronto's affluent neighborhoods. Joseph parked the car a distance away, and we walked under the scorching sun into the park, which was located by Lake Ontario, attracting many people who were playing in the lake or building sandcastles on the beach.

We followed Joseph's lead, searching for the venue of the jazz performance. After wandering around for quite some time without hearing any jazz music, we decided to ask a runner passing by in a place where performances usually take place. She confirmed that if there was a performance, it should be there. Later, Joseph checked the program schedule on his phone, and that's when I noticed that the jazz concert was scheduled for July, and we had come an entire month too early. We had all missed that detail, probably because we trusted him so much and didn't pay close attention. Our mistake didn't dampen our spirits; instead, it added to the laughter, and I'm sure we'll tease him about it for quite some time.

Since we couldn't enjoy the jazz concert and the weather was hot, Joseph knew the perfect place to take us - a downtown pub. There, we cooled off with refreshing beers, making the heat more bearable.

After finishing our drinks, the second major activity of the day was to go to Joseph's place for Lebanese barbecue. We first went to select and buy two bottles of red wine, then together, we headed to a Middle Eastern supermarket to get freshly grilled takeaway delicacies. Back at Joseph's home, we couldn't wait to indulge in the special Middle Eastern dipping sauces, freshly baked pita bread, and aromatic grilled meat. We had a fantastic time, relishing the joyous reunion, with everyone enjoying themselves to the fullest. We could not stop laughing, eating and drinking until very late at night when our son came to pick us up and take us back home.