Montreal

Well, we were SUPPOSED to fly from Montreal to Halifax today, but the Air Canada flight attendants decided to be rebellious and ignore the “back to work” orders from the Canadian government.

Instead, we are rolling along the highway with our Croatian driver for the next 13 hours.

Our two nights in Montreal got off to a promising start. Although we experienced torrential rain as we were leaving Quebec City, it was less of a downpour by the time we got to the “Sugar Shack”. At that stop along the way, we learned about the intricacies of maple syrup creation and got to sample maple taffy.

The taffy is made by drizzling very thick maple syrup on ice or snow, then wrapping the hardening substance around what looks like a tongue depressor

By the time we arrived in Montreal, and finished lunch, the rain had stopped. Our lunch was a Canadian specialty – delicious smoked meat (it tasted like corned beef).

The sandwich was so huge, I had to take it apart to eat it! Before I had finished half of what was served, I was full.

Before we arrived at the hotel, we had a bus tour of Montreal’s highlights. Good thing we were on a bus, because after that huge lunch, I was ready for a nap. Walking was out of the question!

Even if we’d had enough time ( we didn’t) and even if Barbara, my travel buddy had been with me ( she wasn’t), there was no way I was going to climb those steps to see the interior of yet another cathedral! ( So I didn’t).

Originally, I had booked a dinner with Chef Rob for my first night in Montreal, at the recommendation of my Canadian friend, Nancy. Unfortunately, Chef Rob had a family emergency, and had to cancel, but Laurie, our tour guide provided us with multiple attractive alternatives for dinner on our own.

I liked the Universel Déjeuners et Grillades, (especially the Mimosa Margarita, which is one of their specialty drinks) so much that I had dinner there BOTH nights.

I know, how boring. Here I am in one of the great “foodie” cities, and I go to the same restaurant TWICE? What can I say. It was close to our hotel, and the wine pours were generous.

Our one full day in Montreal was unstructured, but Laurie provided options for us.

After 15 minutes, I’d seen enough of the market.

Although I have seen plenty of markets, I decided to join her, mainly so I could get the hang of Montreal’s metro system. It is EASY! Color coded lines ( like Boston) and oh so CLEAN! I have to admit it. Americans are SLOBS.

There was no graffiti, no trash, no urine smell, just artwork. How do they DO that?

Do they ban spray paint? The buildings and highways were clean too. We’ve been driving along the highway for hours, without my spotting a single piece of trash. Trust me. I’ve been looking.

But back to my day in Montreal. When Mike and I were there in 2019, we visited the biosphere, which is located close to the Botanical Gardens. Had it not been a cold, cloudy day, we would have spent it wandering through that gorgeous place. It took 6 years, but FINALLY I got to spend about 4 hours enjoying the greenhouses, exhibits and special gardens.

My favorite was the Chinese Garden. I loved the fantastic sculptures in the pond.

The greenhouses were equally impressive, with waterfalls and orchids.

We ended our day with “Aura”, a light and sound show in the Notre Dame Basilica.

I felt like SUCH a big girl, finding my way via metro from the Botanical Gardens to the Basilica all by myself!

While awaiting the rest of my group to arrive, I enjoyed the musicians and performers in the square. there was a little of everything: dancers, violinists, singers.

The show started at 5:30PM and lasted for 30 glorious minutes. I highly recommend it! Please keep in mind, I’ve seen enough churches, cathedrals and basilicas to last 5 lifetimes! But this was truly special.

These two statues are supposed to represent the cultural divide between the French and English Canadians.

The snooty Englishman is turning his nose up at the Basilica, which represents French Catholicism and the French lady on the opposite corner of the square is gazing scornfully at the symbol of English power, the Bank of Montreal.

UPDATE: We arrived in Halifax a little before 1AM, so it actually took almost SIXTEEN hours by car. I don’t recommend it.

Normally, when I travel I arrive a day before the tour begins, but not THIS time. I figured I wasn’t changing time zones, so no jet lag to overcome, and with the short flight, I would arrive in the early afternoon. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I knew I didn’t have to worry about snowstorms closing the airport, but I completely forgot about thunderstorms and possible flooding. Oh yeah, I also forgot about airline strikes.

I don’t know whether it was the strike or the weather that got my flight canceled, but I was VERY grateful that United notified me the night before I was due to depart. That gave me enough time to notify my driver, rebook my flight from home and best of all, I avoided hanging out at the airport for hours, desperately hoping that the planes would fly again sometime soon.

Actually, the delay worked out for me, because on my recent trip to Massachusetts, my friend Jean and I inadvertently picked up each other’s credit cards. Although Jean attempted to overnight my card, the post office only CHARGED her for 1 day delivery–it actually took TWO days, so I was at home when my card finally arrived.

The header of this post is the map for the main trip. I am now on the pre-trip, which originally comprised three nights in Quebec City (now 2 for me), then Montreal for 2 nights. Whether the flight attendants’ strike will be settled by the time we are due to fly to Halifax is anybody’s guess. That’s why I’m glad I’m on a tour. I don’t have to figure anything out. That’s the trip leader’s job.

There are eight of us on the pre-trip, so finding alternative modes of transportation should be a lot easier than making sure the 30 main trip participants are able to get into Halifax.

But enough about the future—let’s focus on the present.

Our welcome dinner took place in the Hotel Clarendon, where we enjoyed singing along with the accordion player.

The morning of my one full day in Quebec City was spent the touring the parliament building, which was architecturally interesting. I loved the stained glass archway.

This corridor linking the old and new buildings synthesized art, music, architecture and technology . As people walked through the corridor, music played and flashing lights changed color.

Laurie, our trip leader took our first group shot outside of the parliament building.

Joanne, me, Kathy, Tony, Betsy, Mike, Nancy, Melinda

I had heard so much about poutine, I decided to try it for lunch at the Fairmont Hotel. What is poutine, you ask? Well, you take French fries, dump some kind of brown sauce all over them, then top with cheese curds and bacon bits. After a few forkfuls, I’d had enough, so I offered the rest to my travel buddies. They shared my side dish AND my lack of enthusiasm for this “delicacy”.

After lunch we were on our own, so I took advantage of the perfect weather to explore the city, walking atop the city walls. It took me a while to figure out how to get up there. Hint: There are steps along the city gates.