This whole trip to Toronto was done in record time, so that we could see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child before it stops being performed.  As luck has it, we were able to get tickets for the final performance, at the beautiful Ed Mirvish Theatre, which was entirely done in Harry Potter themes.  A crazy morning, we finished packing, left the condo according to their instructions, we went to a restaurant for breakfast, and found that the most accommodating parking was at the garage that was part of the Eaton Centre.  The ladies were excited, but I was the most successful; I found an Italian Sport Coat (my shoulders were too large for Harry Rosen, but Saks was up to the challenge), since my retirement and the nonsense of a few years ago, I gained a little weight LOL, but it is slowly coming off, just like it slowly was added.  My Bride found the garment, I might add. 

We got to the theatre which was across the street from shopping about an hour early and it was already getting mobbed, but we couldn’t get in for about a half hour.  I did find out that I could get some wine, and all I could think of, was they were losing money, by not letting meander the lobbies drinking wine.  It was rather thrilling to see all the children, and some adults dressed like they were wizards at Hogwarts.  Some had complete outfits with wands, others had school ties or school scarves.  There were more people in costume, compared to when we went to the two parks in Orlando for our anniversary a few years back, and no, my Bride didn’t even bring her wand.  My Bride was going to take a photo of me in “The Mirror of Erised” and at the last minute, her sister who was one of the co-conspirators of this trip jumped in, as well. Now, without further ado, I will mention the play.  We all had some problems keeping up with the plot, as the enunciations of the actors was not as crisp as it could be, and they were not speaking from their diaphragms, as I was taught way back before mini-microphones.  Most of the cast were close enough in appearance to the characters that we have learned to love over the decade of films, with one glaring difference.  The staging was spectacular, the scene and property changes were choreographed perfectly, and the human transfigurations of the characters from one to another using “Polyjuice Potion” onstage was awesome.  Also, the “Patronus Charm” and the “Dementors” floating from the stage to above the audience was spellbinding.  As you may have noticed, since I know all the terms, I have become a fan.  We have the entire collection of hardbound books, and when I mentioned that I saw the book for the play, someone immediately went and purchased two copies.           

I did mention that my throat was getting parched when we arrived at the theatre and while they were searching for mythical candies found only at Hogwarts, I passed on the Butterbeer from Hogsmeade.  I decided that I needed a beverage more local in nature and I made my Bride happy as I purchased Hillebrand Trius Pinot Grigio Ontario VQA 2022.  It began as a small winery in the Niagara Peninsula called Newark, which was bought by Joe Pohorly and renamed Hillebrand Estate Winery in 1979.  In 1983, they were the first Ontario winery to successfully make Icewine.  In 1989, they launched Trius Red and two years later it won “best red wine in the world” at the International Wine and Spirits competition in London, England. In 1994 Hillebrand was sold to Andres, and is now owned by Andrew Peller Limited of Ontario and British Columbia.  In 2012 Trius Winery was founded, and as a side note we have been there a couple of times and we even had dinner at their restaurant.  The wine we had was from their Trius Everyday Collection and hence the Ontario VQA.  A very pale straw-yellow colored wine that offers notes of green apples, pears, honeydew, and a spritz of citrus. A very fresh and fruity, unoaked wine, that probably had very little aging time in Stainless Steel after Initial Fermentation.  A couple of glasses of this wine was perfect while enjoying the play.  You will be glad to know that my American patois was back, by the time we hit the border, and I think the border agent was just laughing as he saw some old timers waving play bills and books about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.