maitaitom

It's time for us all to travel north of the border to colorful Québec. With friends Kim and Mary, Tracy and I spent five nights in Montréal, four nights in Québec City and spent our last day driving on Le Chemin du Roy (King’s Road). We had mostly good weather, although Québec City was unseasonably cold (could have used a warmer jacket). The autumn colors (especially in Québec City) were popping. Both in Montréal and Québec City, we visited a number of historical sights, witnessed some fantastic scenery and feasted on terrific meals. Chapter One chronicles our first afternoon and evening in Montréal. Kim and Mary only had a 40-minute layover in Chicago. I hope they made it!* *Link below has trip report with photos.* Below the photo of Chute Montmorency (where we would visit later in the trip) is the verbiage without Pulitzer Prize winning photos.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...f-to-montreal/



It was time to get a taste of Europe in North America. *Our autumn trip to Montréal and Québec City provided us just that, and combined with autumn’s changing colors, we enjoyed a wonderful 10 days.

Tracy and I (along with friends Kim and Mary) had discussed for many years about diverting from our usual European adventures to visit a part of the world that, in some instances, resembles Europe. *We decided that an autumn trip to Montréal and Québec City would not only gives us a little of that old world atmosphere, but, if we were lucky, we’d catch some of those gorgeous fall colors we’d always heard about. *The trip did not disappoint on all counts. *

Starting in Montréal (where we spent five nights), then on to Québec City (four nights) plus a drive on Le Chemin du Roy on the final day, our Canadian journey provided us with lots of history, along with those spectacular colors that autumn in Canada provides.

CHAPTER ONE: OFF TO MONTRÉAL

Day 1 - My Wife The Terrorist, Breakfast Burger, Climate Change, A Man Could Get Hurt Here, Kim & Mary Make It, Looking Blue, Hearing Blues, All That Jazz, Pass The Earplugs & Costly Chablis

It had been 25 years since Tracy and I had traveled to Canada together. *In 1994, thanks to a gig I had at the time with a culinary magazine, we spent a glorious ten-day honeymoon in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. *On this trip, we’d head to the other side of the country with Kim and Mary, who had not been invited on our honeymoon, much to their consternation.

Tracy and I awoke before 3 a.m. for our 7:20 Air Canada non-stop flight from LAX. *Traveling from San Diego, Kim and Mary were a little anxious because they only had a 40-minute layover to change planes in Chicago. *Confident they could do it, I made reservations for four people that night at a Montréal eatery. *I put $100C$ in my wallet, and it was time to roll.

A little after 5 a.m., after navigating the construction near Terminal 6 at LAX, Tracy and I dropped our baggage and headed toward my favorite part of traveling … the TSA checkpoint.

It was time to casually put our items on the conveyor belt and sit down and relax for a bit. *With our TSA pre-clearance it would be a snap. *I guess the TSA needed something to do at this hour, so for Tracy’s fifth consecutive flight (true story) she was pulled out of line for a “random” search (wait, there was no line).**Like the good husband I am, I forged ahead and put my stuff on the belt.

Meanwhile, Tracy received a second pat down after stepping outside the pod where they check out your private parts (I guess visiting the first agent wasn’t enough), and the TSA lady made her take off one of her shoes.**The agent then took Tracy’s right shoe (only her right shoe) and put it through the scanner again.**After about five minutes, Tracy realized the agent wasn’t going to return (as a matter of fact, she was nowhere in sight), so Tracy collected her shoe and we left the scene.

At about 5:30, *Tracy and I decided to have breakfast, because we didn’t want to spend our entire vacation allowance on airline food (meals not included on the Air Canada flight). What sounded good at this hour of the morning? *Habit Burgers, of course. *Hey, it was already 8:30 Montréal time.

Our Air Canada flight was full, and I had purchased an upgrade to Premium Economy (only one outward available for $61). *Although I was afforded great space to stretch out my legs, Tracy said afterward that her seat was comfortable with plenty of legroom. *As we landed in Montréal, the sky was spitting rain.

Montréal’s airport is quite efficient. *At first it looked like a long line (and probably a long time) to go through passport control. *A little girl in front of us in the security line told her parents, “The worst part of traveling is the actual traveling.” *Out of the mouths of babes.

In actuality, the queue moved quickly, and with global entry-type machines to scan your passport and take your photo, by the time we picked up our baggage only about 25 minutes had elapsed. *
*
There were lots of young people milling about, and one reason was the fact that the following day a huge Climate Change rally would take place.**As we stepped outside in the taxi line (C$41) to Old Montréal), the sun was out and it actually felt warm.**I turned to Tracy and quipped, “Look there’s proof of climate change.”
*
We arrived at our lodging for the next five nights, the Hotel Gault.**The hotel has a 19th-century façade, but the interior has been renovated to modern rooms.**Ours was a loft-type room, spacious, but with lots of unused space. *The hotel also included two of my most important aspects for a great stay … it was quiet at night and had a great shower.*

The only problem was that the area where we hung our clothes had little nail-type things protruding outward, dangerous for a clumsy man on blood thinners. **On our last day, we finally realized what they were for.*

Now we just had to wait and see if Kim and Mary had made their connection in Chicago. *Soon our room phone rang and, we held our breath. *It was the front desk. *“Your friends have arrived!”

Well, that could only mean one thing. *As Kim and Mary freshened up, Tracy and went downstairs to have a welcoming cocktail at the Lobby Bar, with Kim and Mary joining us in a bit. *We only did that a couple of times because, as we’d find out, the drinks weren’t inexpensive … but they were good.*

We walked to dinner in Vieux Montréal (Old Montréal). *Being old, we fit right in. *As we strolled through Ville-Marie (one of Montréal’s boroughs), on our left was Place d’Armes, the second oldest public site in Montréal. *This square was originally called Place de la Fabrique when it was developed in 1845.

The prominent statue on the square is Maisonneuve Monument, dedicated to the memory of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, a French military officer and Montréal’s founder.

As we stood in the Place d’Armes, it was hard not to miss what was across the street. * All decked out in blue, Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal opened in 1829. *Its 228-foot twin towers stood out on this evening. *There will be much more about this church in coming chapters, but right now we had food on our mind. *It had been a long time since that early morning hamburger.

We walked past some colorful buildings on our way to dinner …

… which would be at Bistro Modavie (1 Saint-Paul St W).

Maitai Tom’s Fun Fact: *Saint Paul Street is not named after the famous saint, but actually after Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve.

As you enter the restaurant, the first thing you see is a cool looking bar (photo courtesy of my buddy the internet). *In hindsight, I should have reserved a table in this room. *

Local Blues and Jazz bands play here, and we were seated in the room where they play. *Don’t get me wrong, the music was fantastic, including a tremendous instrumental rendition of my favorite Mel Torme song, Comin’ Home Baby (also known as the “Nespresso Song”).

However, besides being wonderful, the music was very loud and hearing each other speak was difficult at best. *Luckily we had ten more days to chat.

The fresh rolls straight out of the oven made for a perfect start.

Dinner was quite good, with the star being Mary’s Cream of Celery and Fennel soup. *You’ll find it hard to believe that Kim started off with a Caesar salad. *He’s had so many of these on our trips, I’m surprised he hasn’t been crowned Emperor of the Roman Empire.

I started my eating binge early with a delicious steak tartare appetizer and then an order of steak frites. *A vegetarian, I am not.

Not stopping there, I also ordered a small side of Saffron risotto. *The Expando belt was getting an early workout.

After dinner, Mary’s friend Greg, a local who had set up our Hotel Gault reservations, joined us for a post-dinner glass of Chablis at Modavie. *As we would find out on this trip, Chablis is expensive in Canada.

I was a little short on the tip, so I asked Tracy if she had a loonie. *She replied, “Yes … you.” *Although she was correct, I was asking if she had any Canadian dollar coins that has the picture of a loon on one side and Queen Elizabeth on the other, commonly known as a loonie.

During dinner there had been quite a downpour, but by the time we exited the skies had cleared. *I would recommend Bistro Modavie, but reserve in either the front bar area or its room upstairs for a chance at conversation.

We walked with Greg down to the dock area and back to the hotel. *By 11:30 we called it a night.

A good night’s sleep was in order for our busy first full day in Montréal. *We’d start with perhaps *the best pastries we’ve had on vacation, a stroll along the river, a visit to a nautical church, a vibrant jardin and even a more colorful produce market.*

We’d begin the evening with a light show to end all light shows at Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal before a delicious dinner at a beautiful restaurant. *Oh yeah … at some juncture during the day we’d be forced to telephone a priest.*

NEXT: CHAPTER TWO: *EXPLORING MONTRÉAL: THE CITY OF LIGHT … SHOWS

Day Two - *Always The Gourmand, Down By The River, Saillrs Sanctuary, Better On The Outside, Garden At The Château, Of all de Gaulle, Statue Stare Down, Christmas In September, Nose Job, Demonstration Time, Going To Market, “Please Call The Accountant Or The Priest,” There’s An ‘Aura’ About You, Three Restaurants In One, Shades of London & What’s Happening On The Side Of That Building?


*

tomarkot

Maitaitom, your TR already has us hooked. Margie has had the 3rd degree at security as you described Tracy went through. What is so suspicious looking about us??? We'll be onboard for more Quebec days. Glad you had mostly sunny days! It will be fun to reminisce about our own experiences. And. . .our return from France was previous to your Canadian escapades. So we have motivation to get going on our TR. We'll be watching for ongoing days.

rncheryl

MTT, am I reading that correctly: Drinks at the Gault restaurant bar appear to be $45?? How is that possible? Even with exchange rate, still makes it about $35 USD


Looking forward to this report as Quebec City is in the Final Four as a destination for the next Girl's Trip and NOBODY does a trip report like you!

maitaitom

Thanks Cheryl. I don't know what that $45 signature cocktail thing is at top. Thankfully ours were nowhere close to that. You should love QC.

CHPTER TWO As per usual, the Mai Tai Four hit the first full day running (ok, casually walking). It was a perfectly beautiful Montréal day, so most of our time was spent outdoors. Perfect pastries to begin the day gave us the energy to walk along the river to a church where sailors prayed for safe journeys. Tracy got her garden fix at a chateau across the street from where Charles de Gaulle gave quite a speech in 1967. Thanks to the autumn colors, the garden was even more beautiful. We made our way past a few more historical spots before becoming a brief part of a Climate Change March. We’d hop on the metro to an incredibly colorful produce market and attempted to see a church that contains a fresco of an infamous dictator. Freshening up, it was off to a dazzling light and music show at Montréal’s most historic church. After a fantastic dinner, we’d finish off our day and night with after-dinner drinks at an elegant hotel, and were surprised by seeing people walking on the side of a building before bedtime. What day! Link below takes you to report with photos. Just verbiage I usually put below photo is glitching today. I blame the heat

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...f-light-shows/

tripplanner001

cafegoddess

Daniel_Williams

maitaitom

Daniel, Gotta say it was quite a sight watching the march. As they moved down the hill, it looked like a waterfall of people. Very cool! Liked Montréal a lot, and you've got quite a selection of restaurants to choose from. We did not leave hungry.

maitaitom

The rain in Montréal on Day Three did not deter the four of us from walking around the city, where we’d hit three churches, visit two museums and crash three weddings. I’ll try to get out one more Montréal post on Wednesday before a brief respite for a total knee replacement. I have to get in good shape for our Portugal 2020 travel plans! Lots of hills. Link to report along with photos below. No photo version below picture of Mary Queen Of The World Cathedral, one of the weddings we "attended."

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...t-no-funerals/



CHAPTER THREE: 3 CHURCHES, 2 MUSEUMS, 3 WEDDINGS … BUT NO FUNERALS

Day Three - Frolicking Squirrels, No Snakes Here, Where’s Godzilla?, Sex In The City, A “Fine” Collection, Hallelujah, Lost In The Museum, Not Winning With Winnie, Ziggy, Thou Shalt Bacon, Queen Of The World, Reliving Montréal’s History and Therein Lies the Rub

A gray, drizzly morning greeted us, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t lots of walking ahead. After a brief stop at Starbucks (any caffeine in a storm), the intrepid four headed to one of three churches we’d visit on a very busy day. Built between 1843 and 1847 for Montréal’s Irish community, this is a true example of Gothic revival style.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral opens at 8:30, except when it doesn’t. Arriving at 9:50, as we stood in the rain, a lady we met tracked someone down who said it would open at 10.

This gave us time to meet a friendly squirrel (and really, aren’t they all?), who was frolicking near a statue.

Inside, the columns decorated to resemble marble are, in reality, pine logs “lashed together.”

One piece of literature said that if you stand in the back corner, you feel like “you’re peering at a sacred grove of trees.”

I’d read that not many people visit St.Patrick’s and, outside of one other person, we had the church to ourself.

We admired the old pulpit and a huge lamp decorated with angels hanging over the altar.

After seeing some Saints and saying a little prayer for Drew Brees to recover from his recent injury, we were on our way.

It was about a ten-minute walk to our next stop, Christ Church Cathedral. Another Gothic revival-style church, Christ Church was constructed in the mid-19th century. The architect attempted to reflect an “Anglican ideal of its time,” and this church served the “influential Anglican community in Montréal.” It’s modeled after a parish church in Norfolk, England, but maintains its Canadian touch.

It has been called a “floating cathedral,” because it was actually elevated (without David Copperfield’s help) while Montréal’s underground city full of malls and corridors were being built. (The last time I was in Montréal in the 1980s, the underground city came in handy because the temperature outside was minus 2 degrees.)

The stained glass window behind the alter is dedicated to Canadians who perished in World War I. The cross is actually made of nails that are from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in England, which was obliterated by German bombs in 1940.

A mechanical-action organ stood out, as well. It was playing as we explored the church, although playing might be too kind a word. It was either being tuned or a three-year-old had taken over organ duties, because it would play these crazy notes at a slow pace. It sort of reminded me of the music when Godzilla was preparing to demolish Tokyo. The only thing missing was Raymond Burr.

On the 15-minute walk to our next destination, we spied a place Kim and I might have visited in college. Now that we are respected members of society, we only take pictures of the exteriors of these places.

On Crescent Street we passed a pub where we might have lunch after our visit.

In about five more minutes we reached Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, which Kim and Mary took to heart. Encompassing five pavilions with underground connections, it is the largest art museum in Canada, and as we would find out later, a tough place to leave.

After purchasing our tickets (C$24) I saw a statue, which I think represented a man who had eaten too much poutine.

In the first room, Kim and Tracy both agreed the best painting was Peonies by the French painter Henri Fantin-Latour, who had been introduced to wealthy collectors in the 1800s by the American painter Whistler (but not his mom).

I liked Pissarro’s View of the Oissel Cotton Mill, near Rouen, painted when he was 68 years old.

A nearby room was reminiscent of a forest with trees, birds chirping and a mini light show.

The first of many Napoleon pieces of art was a bronze of Bonaparte Entering Cairo.

A couple of Belgian paintings were colorful.

The next painting of Napoleon shows the general meeting his Waterloo. I thought a little ABBA music would have been appropriate here.

Next up, modern art, and you can’t have modern art without Picasso. His Embrace depicts, well I never know what any Picasso picture depicts. I think this shows a man embracing a horse who has lost its limbs.

A blue mushroom display must have been created by a fun guy, while this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail neglects to show cows being tossed from the castle. Having figured out all the meanings of these modern art pieces, we went to another room.

Some of the modern art reminded me of our visit to the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, which we liked. These pieces were colorful and whimsical, although the piece on the right foreshadowed me totaling my car a few weeks after we returned.

Christmas White House by an Icelandic painter was intriguing. We assumed Trump was at Mar-a-Lago playing golf at the time.

Two heads are better than one. Three … not so much.

A collection of stuffed animals was almost too much to bear.

A colorful mirror image held our attention way too long, but long enough for Kim to take a rather mesmerizing photo on the right.

Attempting to be a Renaissance man I stepped back in time into this room of Northern and Southern Renaissance art.

In one room I ran into my old buddy from Sevilla, El Greco, and his 16th-century painting, The Ecstasy of Saint Francis.

This sculpture brought back memories of Gubbio, Italy, where I took a tumble as I tried to become an official Gubbio “Lunatic” in 2005.

As we peered out a window, there was a very familiar looking gentleman on the side of the building. Yep. That’s Leonard Cohen. After a few “Hallelujahs,” it was time to go see a couple of more Napoleon works of art, which included a marble bust and an oil painting of the old boy on his deathbed.

We thought about checking out the Egyptian part of the museum, but since we had been to the “best exhibition of Egyptian Art outside of Cairo” in Turin last year, we decided that before we became mummified, we’d see something else.

Our final stop, so we thought, included a number of striking paintings by Canadian artists. “Let’s go eat,” I said.

As I mentioned, there are five buildings all connected. Mary thought she knew which floor we needed to get out for a quick exit. The elevator opened, and it was not a quick exit. For the better (or shall I say worse) part of the next 20 minutes we attempted to find a way out. The efforts were futile. Finally a kind woman directed us to the correct elevator and floor, and four idiots were finally outside in search of food.

The pub that had caught our eye on the way up Crescent Street was Complexe Sir Winston Churchill Pub. “Win with Winnie!” I exclaimed. Walking inside the pub, it looked like no one had been here since Churchill was Prime Minister, so we walked across the street to a pub named Ziggys.

We plopped down in a chair and the affable owner came over and asked what we wanted. Mary asked, “Can we see a menu?” As it turned out Ziggy’s wasn’t serving food, but he gave us a great recommendation of a burger joint around the corner called Notre-Boeuf-de-Gr ce.

And good it was! Sitting upstairs, we enjoyed our burgers.

I loved my Thou Shalt Bacon Cheeseburger and for the first time ever I had a can of Guinness.

Either we were starving, or these were terrific hamburgers.

Refreshed, it was time to go back to church. We were trying to hurry because Mary had a 4:30 massage reserved back at the hotel. On the way we passed by the Boer War Memorial in Dorchester Square. This happens to be the only equestrian statue in Montréal, and it commemorates the Canadians who were killed during this very unpopular South African war.

Mary said she was feeling like the queen of the world because of her upcoming massage, but she was one-upped by the Basilique-Cathedral Maria-Reine-Du-Monde, also known as Mary Queen of The World Cathedral.

Walking inside there was a welcome to be seated sign for Mariline and Steven’s wedding that was taking place.

Not wanting to purchase a wedding gift, we just looked around. This is a miniature of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The nearly 250-foot dome is 1/3 the size of St. Peter’s.

The Baldachin here is a copy of Bernini’s baldachin at St. Peter’s.

We walked round quietly and left before the couple took their vows.

With about 90 minutes before Mary’s massage, we grabbed a taxi and rode to Ch teau Ramezay, where we had spent time in the gardens on the previous day. This time we’d visit the museum. (We had wanted to go to the Archeology and History Museum, but figured we’d spend too much time there … plus it was going to be open tomorrow.)

As we walked through the rooms relating the city’s history, we learned that in 1929 Ch teau Ramezay was the first building to be designated a historic monument by the government of Québec. It’s also the oldest history museum in Québec.

This is a place where I could have spent more time especially on one of the free docent led tours. There were lots of artifacts, paintings and furniture from old Montréal.

Downstairs was furnished like it might have looked in the past.

There were also questions about what living conditions were like back in the early 18th century. One question was … “Did people brush their teeth every day?” I loved the answer: “In fact, people believed that tooth-brushing was too abrasive and damaged teeth. Instead they were advised to use a soft cloth and to rinse with warm water to which brandy could be added.” I wondered if tequila could be substituted.

There are stops along the route where audio stations take a deeper dive into the history of Montréal and some of the items that reside here.

They also have guided tours by docents decked in traditional garb. We listened in on a couple of guides, and the facts provided were very interesting.

As we walked back to the hotel, there was not one, but two more weddings that we crashed along the route. On our next vacation I better pack a suit.

As Mary enjoyed her massage, Kim went to the drug store, Tracy took a nap and I got caught up on all the college football scores.

At a little past 7, the four of us headed to the Vieux-Port for dinner at an Italian restaurant recommended by Mary’s friend Greg. The meal was so delicious, it will be our next chapter.

Chapter Four: Dinner By The Port

Night Three - Un Po Di Piu & Jackie Robinson Night

maitaitom

Whenever I’m within 24 hours of a total knee replacement, my thoughts naturally turn to food. So for my last installment before my knee looks like Frankenstein, it's time to return to our third night in Montréal and a restaurant we believe deserves special recognition. Un Po Di Più is a charming Italian restaurant located in Vieux-Port Montréal. From decor to food to service, it was about as perfect as a dinner can get. If you’re ever in Montréal, give Un Po Di Più a try. Order the gnocchi they serve that evening. We also paid our respects to that famous Montreal Royal, Jackie Robinson. Link below with photos ... verbiage without photos below photo of some delicious gnocchi.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...r-by-the-port/






CHAPTER FOUR: DINNER BY THE PORT

Night Three - Un Po Di Più & Jackie Robinson Night

Caffe Un po di Più, Old Montréal, Quebec, Canada

We had many terrific meals on this trip to Canada, and one that really stood out was at Caffe Un po di Più. Located in the Vieux-Port de Montréal (Old-Port of Montréal), Un po di Più serves Italian small plates to be shared. From Hotel Gault, it was a short ten-minute stroll. (Two photos below from internet.)

Un po di Più (“A Little More”) opened in 2018 and is a creation from the same folks who brought Olive et Gourmando to Montréal, the restaurant where we picked up breakfast almost every morning on our trip – exceptional fresh baked pastries.

The interior of Un po di Più can be summed up in two words … “cozy” and “elegant.” From the curved bar seen upon entering to the interior design, you feel right at home at Un po di Più. We were seated at a window table on a warm, starry evening. It was a great start to a perfect dinner.

The only menu item we originally decided to share was a platter of aged prosciutto di Parma and plums with focaccia bread. I believe I could live on prosciutto, and the plums were a surprising, and delicious, complement to the dish.

Our server was quite knowledgable about the wine list, and let us sample a couple to make sure we picked bottles we enjoyed … and we did.

Mary started with the Soupe du Moment, which was a carrot, butternut squash soup with pears, toasted pumpkin seeds, dried squash and parsley ($14). “Wow!” … what a start. She followed that with another “Wow!” dish, the carrot zucchini gnocchi with dill sauce ($22). The rest of us had been put off by the dill sauce, but it was very subtle, almost unnoticeable, with an excellent basil pesto. Since we all tried both dishes, technically we shared these, too.

Emperor Kim ordered the Caesar salad (remind me not to dine with him on the Ides of March) with crispy pancetta ($18) and the Pasta e fagioli.

Tracy and I shared the Porchetta with green beans and tomato, meatballs ($15) and bruschetta with mushrooms and mascarpone.

As you can see, we left no food uneaten, but we were undeterred from forging ahead with dessert.

Our server was gushing over the special puff pastry with mascarpone and fresh peaches so we ordered one to share along with the Torta Caprese, which was a dark chocolate cake with an Amarena cherry and chocolate ice cream ($10). Needless to say, both were gone before you could say, “I’m stuffed.”

As with seemingly all the restaurants we visited on this trip, Un po di Più had a great playlist including, once again, the Mel Tormé song Comin’ Home Baby, only this time it was the original version by “The Velvet Fog” himself.

I strongly recommend Un po di Più as one of your restaurant choices in Montréal. Ambiance, food quality and service combined for a captivating evening.

On the way home we were tempted by some other sweets …

… but fortunately our stomachs were screaming, NO!”

We walked down one of the streets and a familiar figure looked like he was heading for home … plate. It was another of Montréal’s Cité Mémoire tableaus, this one featuring Jackie Robinson.

No, we weren’t in Brooklyn. Before becoming the first African-American player to play in the major leagues (Brooklyn Dodgers), Robinson played for the Montréal Royals, Brooklyn’s triple-A minor league affiliate. After an initial road trip with the Royals in the U.S. where he was taunted by racial slurs, Robinson and the Royals returned to Montréal. Robinson’s widow Rachel recalled, “When we got to Montreal it was like coming out of a nightmare. The atmosphere in Montreal was so positive, we felt it was a good omen for Jack to play well.”

It was a great end to a wonderful evening.

We’d spend the following day wandering outside for the better part of the morning and afternoon enjoying a glorious blue-sky day. Our New England Patriots fan/Uber driver took us up to a famous park, where we strolled around a lake, learned a little more about Montréal’s history, attempted to enter a nearby cemetery and finally climb 99 steps (at first) to a shrine dedicated to Canada’s patron saint.

We’d also attempt to go to that Archaeology museum we’d threatened to visit since we arrived. I wonder if we’ll make it in time.

NEXT: CHAPTER FIVE: THE FOOLS ON THE HILL

Day Four - Park With A View, A Squirrelly Building, Central Park Designer, Boat Race, Where’s The Entrance?, A New Mrs. MaiTai?, Sing Us A Song You’re The Piano Man, Saint Be Praised, Up Up and Up, You’ve Gott Have Heart, Cab Driver Comedian, The Line That Never Moved, Wise Decision, No Drinks Without Food, Drinks With Food & Getting Ready For Old-School

tripplanner001

Tdiddy12

Hi MTT - We had a planned on a trip to Montreal and QC for this winter but wife nixed because she thought it would be too cold. So right now I am sitting on my veranda looking at the ocean in Costa Rica planning our trip next year to Canada in September. We also live in LA so will be flying out of LAX. Didn’t know TSA would strip search you. I just paid someone $100 to do it! Excellent trip report, what great style and layout. Good luck with the knee job!

denisea

Have been wanting to visit this area for some time.....reading along and entertained!

maitaitom

Treesa

Thanks for posting, Tom. I've been thinking of you. I'm sure Tracy is taking good care of you.

maitaitom

Thanks Treesa, I should be back working on the Canada report in a couple of days. Yes, Tracy is taking good care of me, but I'm pretty sure she will be happy to return to work this week and be away from her "patient" for a few hours.

Paqngo

We will all be waiting very patiently

maitaitom

Pagngo, The knee has been slow to heal, but I am determined. I just can't quite sit at a computer for very long period. Getting close, I hope.

Paqngo

Maitai- Your determination will be what gets you back to your travels. One day at a time. I have been reading your France trips from your site. Planning a May/June trip.

maitaitom

"Maitai- Your determination will be what gets you back to your travels."

Thanks, It is still hard to sit at the darn computer for any length of time. I have promised I will get one out one more trip post by this upcoming Sunday. Very frustrating, but t least looking at the Canada pics make me inspired. Aftr this knee surgery "recovery", I have much empathy for people with chronic pain.