TORONTO: or tay-ronto?
I have written about Meghan before, and one thing I have mentioned is how birthdays were always super special. I moved around a lot as a kid, and when I met Meghan, I was 10-11 years old. We quickly figured out we had a very similar lifestyle, and somehow, we just figured it out. My birthday is in June, and hers is in November, so it always just ended up being perfect because we were able to see each other twice a year at different points in the year. This was always so special because no matter how hectic life was, it always reminded us that no matter what, our friendship was constant. If we could not make one birthday, then we made the other. And on magical occasions, we can make both dates; then, we know it was a good year.
When I was meant to study abroad, we were prepared for it to be the first time in 11 years that I missed a birthday. It was sad, but we knew why. Meghan had told me a while ago that she had extra tickets to the Eras Tour in Toronto and asked if there was any way I could be there. I knew there was no way I could make a transatlantic flight roundtrip in 3 days, and just the cost alone would be huge. She understood, and we had not spoken about it for a while after that. One day, I was in my room, and I was just curious to see what the flight arrangements would look like, and they were not terrible. I called my mom and told her that I wanted to figure out how to make this happen. I asked her if she would split the plane ticket with me and I would cover everything else. It would be my Christmas gift and that was fine with me because I did not need anything else. I told Meghan I was able to go, and that was that. I booked my flight from Rome to Toronto with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany.
After my class on Wednesday, I headed to the airport and prepared for my flight. As I was waiting, I noticed that my flight kept getting delayed. After four delays, I started to panic because my layover time was getting shorter and shorter, so bad, to the point that there was no way I was going to make my connection. We came to find out that over 23 passengers on this flight to Frankfurt also needed to get to Canada, and Air Canada was prepared to wait. We all race off the plane trying to get to this plane, and we all remember we must go through passport control, which is notoriously known for taking forever. For what felt like 45 minutes, I was stuck in passport control and was genuinely worried I was going to miss this plane. With the Holy Spirit sitting on my shoulders, I made it onto this plane and was trying to mentally prepare for a 12-hour flight. I had the whole row to myself and, of course, got the airplane dinner of my dreams. This is not sarcasm I like the airplane food. They always give really good dessert.
We land in Toronto, and I grab an Uber to the hotel where Meghan and I reunite. I was starving, so obviously, I ordered poutine. It took 45 minutes to come, and it was cold by the time it got there, unfortunately. I also forgot to ask for silverware to come with it, so I was eating it with my hands. It got the job done, though, and I was exhausted, so we got ready for the next day.
The next morning we were up bright and early to get some birthday breakfast for Meghan. Of course, it felt like the tundra so we got our coffee and a warm breakfast before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the Eras Tour. Of course, I was so excited to just be with Meghan but Taylor Swift was actually my first concert when I was 8 for the Speak Now tour. I had seen the Eras Tour movie in theatres with my mom and I really did not think that I was going to be able to go to the tour. The era that I chose was Reputation as that is my favorite era and album. While we were getting ready we were all talking about what our favorite song is and what we would love to be the surprise song if we could take any guesses. I told everyone that I would lose my mind if it were Better Than Revenge as that is my favorite song of hers. We then took some pictures and made our way near the Rogers Centre where we stopped for dinner. I ordered poutine again of course and we got some Taylor-inspired drinks which the restaurant was serving to be festive for the occasion. Another reason I was so excited to go on the tour was to see Gracie Abrams. I am a massive Gracie Abrams fan and was just as excited to see her live. I am really hoping to make one of her live shows in Europe this semester. We headed into the Rogers Centre and made our way to our seats.
No matter if you like Taylor or not, no one can ever say she is not an amazing performer. The crowd is electric and the show is so intricate and detailed. It was an amazing night and I am so blessed to have been able to be there. I was able to FaceTime my sister-in-law Sophia as she requested to see the Red era. It was time for the acoustic set and the first song was Mr. Perfectly Fine and then to our immense surprise she mashed it with Better Than Revenge. It definitely felt like a sign that I was supposed to be on this trip with Meghan.
Still so exhausted from my jet lag I end up falling asleep on the train but still full of gratitude that I was even able to be there and for this to be the way we celebrate Meghan’s 22nd. Her Taylor year!
The next morning we woke up and grabbed Tim Hortons and Meghan went to spend some time with her family while I did some homework and got some rest. When she came back we went out later that night at The Loose Moose and Jack Astors. The Loose Moose is a historic landmark in my eyes and a must see in Toronto. We shared fishbowls and had way too much to drink but I would not take back any second of it.
We woke up early the next morning and headed back to the airport where I would go back to Rome and and she would head back to Wilmington. Meghan, I love you! Cheers to our next adventure. See you in May sister.
