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Okay okay I've been to
Toronto, but haven't done the Gould Shrine Pilgrimage.
But I took the train from Toronto to
Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba, the trip Gould made "The Idea of
North" about. And back again. Does that count?
How long was that? Well, the
Winnipeg-Churchill leg is 2.5 days on a train through the wilderness. So all
told my Gould Pilgrimage took about eleven days and I can't even guess how many
kilometers. Here's my Expedition Report:
Churchill was the first place I've ever
been where I wasn't No. 1 on the Food Chain. It puts you in a very odd -- not
bad or terrified, a few thousand people live there full-time and they're not
terrified all the time, just cautious and quick -- state of mind.
I've said this before when the
subject's come up: Please think very seriously about taking this amazing train
trip (polar bear season is on the cusp of October/November, you have to book
accomodations very far in advance) while you still can. There's a trackside buzz
that it could be shut down any year. (It's not "modern" and profitable
enough.) You just don't want to miss this. And I had the distinct feeling
Gould's spirit was accompanying me all the way. Toronto alone isn't quite enough
to touch all the parts of Gould's life that he considered important and
special.
Bob Merkin
-----Original Message-----
From: Kate Clunies-Ross <goldbergs@TALK21.COM> To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU <F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Friday, July 13, 2001 6:50 PM Subject: Visiting Glenn Gould's Toronto >
>Just out of curiosity (and because I am an incurably nosy person, I guess) >how many people have made Gouldian trips to Toronto? And how far did they >have to travel? |