If you are a bit introverted, like me (and there is good reason to assume that you are —apparently 57% of lawyers are introverts, as compared to only about 25% of the general population), you tend to brace yourself for December, and what I think of as the hyper-festivity of the holiday season. Togetherness and cheer aside, it also comes with its own brand of exhaustion: end-of-year deadlines, a dangling string of holiday functions, a maddening proliferation of little gift bags and a lot of refined sugar. A colleague noted the other day that by mid-December, he finds even images of snowflakes exhausting.
However you feel about December, November is a good time to pre-charge. So here’s a list of hassle-free and deliberately less social ways to carve out a few pockets of private leisure time, while still being out in the city:
- Slow down with an hour or two of subtitles and euro-style drama at the European Union Film Festival 2012. The EUFF is a product of a cultural collaboration of the EU Consulates and Cultural Institutes in Toronto, and the festival features 30 films from 27 countries. Though most films are of critical acclaim, there will be no TIFF-like madness here: the EUFF is decidedly low-key and is happy to let the diplomaticos and intellectuals argue cinematic merits over espressos on College Street. All films show at Little Italy’s The Royal, and admission is free. See the full line-up here.
- Saunter through Frida and Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting. The AGO’s latest masterfully curated mega exhibition is a beautiful and detailed look at the works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, two of Mexico’s best-known artists, through the lens of their romantic and creative partnership. There are some expected masterpieces, like Rivera’s “The Bullfighter” and “The Arsenal” murals, and Kahlo’s numerous self-portraits, like “Self-Portrait with Monkeys” and “Self-Portrait as a Tehuana.” But some of the highlights of the exhibit are actually private images of the artists: striking photographs of Kahlo by her former lover and photographer Nickolas Muray, images of Kahlo and Rivera at their beloved Casa Azul (their shared home and the site of much of Kahlo’s painting) and photographs of Rivera carrying Kahlo’s casket upon her death — all of which unveil a gentle and profound intimacy at the core of what appeared a very publicly tumultuous relationship.
- Check out Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The exhibit — which you enter by walking down the barrel of an oversized gun — charts the evolution of the British superspy by way of the series’ most memorable costumes and gadgets (yes, there are laser guns!): James Bond’s suits, Bond girl bikinis and even whole recreated film sets, including original photographs and concept drawings from the collection, some never before displayed for the public.
- Do some outdoor pre-holiday lounging with a drink at the Distillery District’s Christmas Market’s Glühwein gardens (open as of November 30, 2012). Sit outside with warm mulled wine or have a quick hot rum before you browse the artisan stalls.
- Hike or cycle for an afternoon in Rouge Park. Just northeast of downtown Toronto (and easily accessible by car and transit), the park consists of over 40 square kilometers of protected land, including two National Historic Sites and a variety of ecosystems close to the site where the Rouge River empties into Lake Ontario. The place is unbelievably other-worldly, despite its proximity to the city. It’s part nature escape, part glimpse into local history (there is a heritage cider mill building from 1872, and an old school house and church built in the 1890s). Most of all, it’s fantastically quiet.
Maria Gergin is a Toronto-based lawyer.
Image: Lidia Camacho