In retrospect it’s obvious why I had to at least attempt the journey.

You see, the Aga Khan is putting in an Islamic history centre, with a special nod to Ismailis, in the community of Leaside, a woody central-eastern patch of the city running along the Don Valley.

The Aga Khan. Not Aga Khan. The Aga Khan. With a title like that, I don’t see how one could resist going to see what this man will install in our city. Apparently it’s supposed to be the first of it’s kind anywhere around these parts, and it has been described as a “gem”. All out of the Aga Khan’s love for Canada.

I tend to walk until I come to a major intersection and then stop to look at Google Maps on my mobile phone to figure out my next turn. I guessed I must’ve misjudged the majorness of a few intersections because I soon wound up in a neighbourhood adjacent to the Science Centre. Having gotten there, on foot, from Yonge-Dundas Square, I was starting to feel a tad worn out. Plus I had the return trip to think about.

So I decided to call it a day, vowing to return. But it wasn’t a total loss. The highlight of that part of town is definitely the awesome vista from the Don Mills Road bridge over the DVP:

I’ve seen the Toronto skyline from a bunch of locations but this one is really outstanding. The edges of the Don Valley pick up where the skyline leaves off; it must look amazing on a clear night.

So, no Aga Khan Centre, but at least there was the bridge. Plus all the stuff along Bayview Avenue.

One of the things I’d been meaning to investigate further is the Rosicrucian HQ on that street. You see, it’s not the Freemasons we should all be concerned about, it’s the Rosicrucians. The order of the rosy cross. Their addition to the English language is the phrase “sub rosa”, which means “to be held in strict secrecy”. Their order dabbled in alchemy, is associated with some heavy names, and their main book The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz is about as weird as it gets. And why are they collecting all that ancient Egyptian stuff?

Neat. Almost as neat as some of the stuff I found at a local cemetery. Sorry, necropolis. (Way cooler.)

However, that’ll have to wait as I’m dangerously close to missing a pretty cool event that just won’t wait. We’ll have to cover death next time. Sorry. :(