Amphi-Bus Tour

My feet are so tired!  I walked from downtown to Old Montreal today (about 2 miles in heat and humidity), stopped in Chinatown for lunch and ended up at the Amphi Bus tour by the Old Port.

The cute Quebecois tour guide gave most of the tour in French, pausing to make bad jokes in English every now and then.  

It was pretty cool to dip into the St. Lawrence River.  We had a great view of these bizarre apartment buildings created for the 1967 Worlds Fair.  That's the photo at the top of the posting.  A 23 year old Israeli design student came up with the concept for his ph.D dissertation.  They're identical cubes, stacked one atop another to form a pyramid.  Unfortunately, the weight of the cubes was greater than he anticipated, so he didn't get to put a top on the pyramids.  I think they look pretty cool.

I found my way to the Underground city, Montreal's 18 miles of shops, restaurants, theaters and passageways below ground.  I wandered through the train station, several Metro stations, and eventually, I found my way back to the Marriott.  

Feet HURT!  So, I'm just relaxing, waiting for McCain's speech on TV, eating a sandwich I brought back from the Underground City, and realizing that my vacation is just about over.

A couple of impressions I haven't shared with you yet.  This city feels so SAFE.  I've been traveling alone most of the time, walking on the city's streets day and night,  wandering the Underground City, and I have never, ever felt vulnerable.

The people here are very kind.  Even though I don't speak their native language, they have all been patient with my halting French.  

And it's a very clean city.  I was startled when I saw a discarded fast food meal today.  I realized it was the first trash I have seen since I arrived.

It's been a great week.  I'm so lucky to have been able to realize this dream of mine, and it's been fun to be able to write this blog and take you along.

Thanks for reading it.  And thanks for commenting.  

A Greek in Montreal

A couple of my guidebooks recommended the excellent Greek food in Montreal.  But they didn't mention a moderately priced Greek restaurant.

So, I asked my Greek Bellboy.  He told me about Mythos, on Avenue Parc, near McGill University.  

Mythos did not disappoint.  It's in a big old house, where it's been for the last 50 years.  The waiters are all middle-aged or old men who have been there for years.

I ate outside on the sidewalk, and ordered the squid stuffed with cheese and capers.  It was served with rice and vegetables.  That's the photo below.  What I didn't get a photo of was the wonderful Horiatiki salad of wonderfully fresh tomatoes (the kind you can only get on the East Coast), cucumber, olives and fresh feta cheese.    

Dinner was wonderful.  I had a Greek custard with honey for dessert.  I forget the name.  But it was also outstanding.   And the bill came to $33.00 with coffee and tax.  

Musee des Beaux Arts

Today, I was able to spend about 4 hours at Montreal's Musee de Beaux Arts, the fine arts museum in the city.

I have posted previously about my love of impressionism. Imagine my surprise when the first painting in the first room I see is one of Monet's paintings at his garden at Giverney! Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take photos of the paintings, and the photos on-line aren't download-able. So, you'll just have to take my word for it. The colors popped. It was lovely.

Then I see an entire room of paintings by Monet, Degas, Renoir and another room full of Picasso paintings. The famous "The Embrace" is at the Musee de Beaux Arts.

On the floor below is the contemporary art wing, with modern paintings from 1945 and later.

I squealed with joy when I saw two paintings by Jean Michel Basquiat. I urge you to rent the movie "Basquiat. It tells the story of this painter's troubled life, but the best part of it is David Bowie's BRILLIANT portrayal of Andy Warhol. Warhol turned Basquiat into his protegee'.

The painting below is a classic example of his work:

I know, if you've never seen his work before, you're probably wondering what the heck is THIS?

(and if you paid attention at the beginning of this post, you're wondering how I got a photo....I took it when the guard was out of the room!)

This is the first one I've ever seen in person. It did not disappoint. It's pure perspective. This guy, who died of a drug overdose wasn't trying to impress anyone. He just had ideas he wanted to share. Love it, hate it or accept it as it is.

The featured exhibit at the Musee des Beaux Arts right now is an Yves St. Laurent retrospective. Yes, the late fashion designer who defined the house of Dior.

I'm a big "Project Runway" fan, and used to read Vogue Magazine at my grandmother's house. But I'm no fashion hound. But wow.

Here's the coolest thing about this exhibit. It was PACKED with wannabe fashionistas. Almost every woman there was dressed to the 9's. Incredible fashion to see the exhibit about fashion. I doubt many of them ever stepped foot in the museum before, and this had them rivited.

I have to admit that the clothing was spectacular. And even with my limited knowledge of fashion, I could understand why the creative artistry of this man led to influences in fashion for many years to come. I even was able to draw a connection between his 1976 Russian-influenced collection, and a cocktail dress I bought in 1984.

Think about that next time I'm wearing yet ANOTHER pair of black pants and a turtleneck.

Aux Anciens Canadiens

If you ever get to Quebec, make sure you have lunch or dinner at Aux Anciens Canadiens Restaurant.

After I ate here, I found out it's recommended in many guide books, including Frommers.  

The restaurant is in the oldest house in Quebec City.  It was built in 1677.  Wow.  almost 100 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, several generations had called this place home.

But enough about the location.  Let's get to the food!

The interior is very charming.  Unfortunately, I was so hungry that I forgot to take photos of the low ceilings, tiny leaded glass windows and relief carvings of Canadian history on the walls. 

Instead, I focused on the charming place setting.

If you go, order the salmon with shrimp wrapped in puff pastry.  OH MY GOD!  The burre blanc sauce with white wine and (ugh) carrots was so good that I sopped most of it up with the bread after I had finished the salmon. 

I also had a corn chowder but it didn't look very inspiring so I didn't take a photo of it.  But trust me, it was wonderful.

And for dessert:

FABULOUS!   They call this "sugar pie" with cream.  It's maple syrup in a pie.  I heard somebody at a table next to me describe it as "pecan pie without all those pesky nuts".  That's pretty close.

Pennsylvania Dutch friends will recognize the flavor as Shoo-Fly pie without the crunchy layer.  

At any rate, it was delicious and I was so full that I didn't eat for the rest of the day.

Montmorency Falls

We took a side trip to Montmorency Falls, just outside of Quebec City.  It's kind of hard to tell how big they are by the photo, but at 275 feet, they are almost 100 feet taller than Niagra Falls.

The waters flow from the Montmorency River into the St. Lawrence.  Another set of falls, the Bridal Veil falls are a short distance away.

We got 10 whole minutes to take in this beauty.  There's a cable car that runs to a resort at the top of the falls.  There are also at least 2 walkways from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the falls.  

I understand it's simply spectacular in the winter, when the falls and the river are frozen.  

But I don't feel cheated.  I thought the falls were lovely.

Quebec City C'est Fantastique!

What a wonderful day!

The Gray Line bus picked me up at my hotel at 7:20 in the morning, and my fellow travelers and I took a 3 hour bus trip (plus a coffee stop) to Quebec City.

The highlight of this 400 year old city is the grand hotel, Le Chateau Frontenac.  It's owned by the Fairmont Corporation these days.  Absolutely stunning.  They call it the "most photographed hotel in the world".     You can get to it from a Finicular (incline elevator) or by bus.  

The old city is surrounded by a fortified wall.  Every building is a post card.  And the tourists eat it up.  The place is crowded with tours, tour guides, etc.  But I'm so glad I got to be here.  It really felt like I was in an old European town.
A very cool attraction is the painted wall below.  An artist created this in 1999, and it tells the story of Quebec, from its' founding to its' political decisions to technology in modern times.  It's kind of funny to see how outdated the computer screens in the painting look so big and clunky compared to what we use today.

At any rate, I urge you to click on this photo to blow it up and really see the workmanship of this painting.  The perspective would make Da Vinci envious. 
The building with the red roof is another old hotel.  The entire city is loaded with sidewalk cafes, art galleries with works by Quebecois artists, and more gift shops.  I had lunch at the oldest house in Quebec (more than 350 years old!).  The food was traditional Quebec fare.  It's worthy of its' own posting.  More on that later.
In addition to the incredibly preserved buildings, there is a great deal of archeological work going on. The photo below is a dig at the top of the mountain, near the hotel.  It's the site of the original fort.  You're looking at a hearth that has been unearthed.  
There is so much more to share about Quebec City, but I'm only allowed to download 5 photos of medium size.  So I'll have to decide what to post next!  

Pipe Organ at Notre Dame

I was so lucky to be able to hear the pipe organ at Notre Dame. I recorded this with my Cannon still camera. The sound is pretty good! I admit pipe organ is an acquired taste. But just imagine the power of that organ in this awe=inspiring place.

We weren't allowed to film or take still photos during the mass. But immediately afterwards, I got bold.

Olympic Stadium & Brother Andre'

These photos are from the bus tour I took on Saturday.  Another area of interest in Montreal is the site of the 1976 Olympic Games.  These are the games where Nadia Comaneci took the world by storm, scoring a perfect "10" in her gymnastics routine.  She went on to win 5 gold medals at the games, and charmed the world with her perfection and smile.

She was 14.  It was all downhill after that.

Don't peak too soon, I say.  

But, I digress.  These photos are of the stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies were held, as well as gymnastics and other events.  Today, it's used for concerts and conventions.  

This tower is the largest inclined tower in the world.  Inclined on-purpose, I should say.  The Leaning Tower of Pisa was unintentional.  

Notice the groove in the side of the tower.  About 3/4 of the way, you can see a long cable car.  You can pay $10 to ride up the car to the observation deck.  It apparently has great views of the city.

Or, you can view the tower from afar.  This was taken looking north on Mont Royal.  

Quebecois people make fun of Montreal to this day, for the money they paid to build the Olympics complex.  These days, the Olympic Village is now senior citizen apartment housing.  The velodrome is now the Bio-Dome, which houses 4 ecosystems.  Maybe I'll visit that today or Wednesday.   It's supposed to be very nice, and accessible from the Metro.  

Another church of significance in Montreal is St. Joseph's Cathedral.  We didn't get to go inside.  It's much newer than Notre Dame, having been completed in the 1960's.  The big story about this cathedral is that it was constructed with funds raised by a man now known as Brother Andre'.  

He was a humble doorman, working at the Catholic school across the street.  He started saving tips and collecting donations to build the church.  This regular guy raised millions.  And people say he is also responsible for many miracles.  So they go to this church, pray on each of the 99 wooden stairs leading to the top of the hill, and expect miracles.

Stunning!

I'm still trying to get the video of Montreal's Notre Dame Basilica to load properly, so until then, these still shots will have to suffice.  

The Cathedral is absolutely awe-inspiring.

They do a light show some evenings which is supposed to be spectacular.  

I attended the 5:00 Sunday mass in French.  You could understand the gist of the mass if you've attended before.  So many rituals in Catholicism.  It was very nice.  And at the end, the priest thanked the attendees in French, English and Spanish.  It was quite moving.

It's difficult to find the words to describe this beauty.  I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Vieux Montreal-revisited

I wanted to spend more time in Old Montreal, so Brigitte took me there for several hours.  This part of the city was established in 1642, and it's not even the oldest part of Quebec.  The Province celebrates its' 400th birthday today.   And we think stuff is old in Seattle if it's been around for 75 or 80 years!

There are many, many buildings like this one I photographed.  It's a little step back in time with the horse-drawn carriage, and there are many of them.  It must be the "thing to do" in Vieux Montreal.

Like Pioneer Square, this old part of town is crowded with boutiques, restaurants and art galleries.  I was particularly drawn to this gallery, owned and operated by painter Pauline Bressan.  At first she did not want me to photograph her artwork.  But after a long chat, and after I bought the book of paintings she is holding, she acquiesced.  

The book, by the way, contains photos of her family tree series.  She decided to chronicle the stories of the women of her family, going back to her great-great grandmother, through paintings.    I love the idea, and I love her style.  

A typical street in Vieux Montreal

Old Montreal is where Cirque du Soleil was born.  As I understand it, a few street performers, like the one you see above, got together and formed what is now a multi-million dollar corporation that delights and enthralls people from all over the world.

Ride the Ducks!

What a Beautiful City - Part Deux

Today was a great day.  I was picked up at 10:00 by Brigitte Peytier, a friend of my Vancouver friend Drew Snider.  First of all, how cool of her to give up her entire day to show a woman she's never met, a city she has called home for just 2 years.

Brigitte is from the South of France, in the Bordeaux region.  She is headmistress of a French school in Montreal and was a wonderful guide.  The first stop was Mont Royal, the big hill in the center of the city.  It's  a great big park with lots of overlooks.   The photo above is the view to the South and East.  My hotel is somewhere in that cluster of buildings.    And beyond the tall buildings is the St. Lawrence River.

We then hiked up to the very top of the mountain, which wasn't too hard, since the incline wasn't very steep.  A beautiful walk, and Brigitte and I talked politics along the way. 

The river is on three sides of the island of Montreal.  At one point, the river turns into some kind-of dangerous rapids.    You'll notice the Zodiac in the upper right portion of the rapids.  Lots of folks ride them.  Looks like fun.

I was able to get that close-up photo because Brigitte took me to Parc des Rapides, a small peninsula way off the beaten path, which is a wildlife preserve.  

We saw ducks, bugs, and that's about it. But what a beautiful place.  Not a tourist (except for me) in sight!   
Voila Brigitte!

We drove around the city a bit and I noticed these homes all over.  The stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors of all these apartment buildings are on the outside.  Not the inside.  Now mind you, this city gets more than 10 feet of snow a year.  And it gets COLD too.  Winters can be -40 celsius.  You do the conversion.  Whatever way you spell it, it's frickin' cold!  Somebody has to clear the ice and snow off those steps.  And somebody has to walk up them, with the groceries.

Here's the good part.  Apartments in these neighborhoods rent for 500 to 600 dollars a month.  

I found out later that the reason they built the steps outside rather than inside, is that an old Quebec law taxed people on the size of their homes, and they would pay lower taxes if the square footage taken by the stairs was out of the equation.  That's a big commitment to saving money.

As we continued our drive to Old Montreal, we came across a film crew.  I'm not sure what they were filming, but the black car on the right-hand side of the photo was the focus.  They were also wetting down the pillars behind the car, to get a better shot.  And lots of cars that would drive by during the filming would back up to their starting point every time the director shouted "cut". 

I also got to spend more time in Vieux Montreal, and even attended the French Mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral.  I took a small video of the alter with the huge pipe organ playing full blast.  I'm having a difficult time uploading it for some reason, so you'll have to trust me on that, until I figure out the logistics.

We wandered the streets of Old Montreal for a couple of hours.  I'll post those photos separately.  It was so beautiful.  

I had dinner, alone, in the hotel restaurant.  Sunday nights, they do a buffet.  It was delicious.

I have no plans for tomorrow.  But Tuesday, I'm taking a bus trip to Quebec City.  It's a 3 hour drive to North America's only walled city.  I'm looking forward to it!

More later.

Voila Poutine!

Well, I said I'd do it, so true to my word, my dinner, Saturday night, was soup, and a serving of Poutine Quebecois.  That's the traditional fries, cheese curds and BEEF gravy.

Notice how one half of the fries have almost no gravy?  Guess which side I ate?  I admit I tried the gravy, but it simply did not appeal to me.  The restaurant I went to, Dunn's, is famous for its' smoked meat (Dan, you'd LOVE it...) and the Poutine.

I think they seasoned the gravy with some nutmeg.  At any rate, it was simply disgusting.

I nibbled on the side without gravy, and had some of the cheese curds.  But about 15 minutes into dinner,  the fries were completely soggy with the gravy.

I think Colleen put it best in her comment when she called them "Barf Fries".  I concur.  But hey, I said I'd try them.

What a Beautiful City -- Part 1

Nobody parks for free in Montreal!  These bicycle pay station racks are all over the place.  

Before my bus tour, I had a couple of hours to walk around and explore the neighborhood.

My hotel, Le Chateau Champlain Marriott is on Place du Canada, in the downtown area.  I first headed to the west, and found the planetarium, but not much else.  The city slopes downward toward the St. Lawrence River, which is on three sides of the island.  

As I walked back up towards the Hotel, and the downtown shopping district, I encountered some sort of picketing at the Fairmont Hotel.

I'm not sure why they were gathered.  I don't think it was a protest, however,  Some were loudly singing "Ole, Ole Ole Ole.....We are the Champions...Ole".  I've heard that song sung during and after soccer matches.  So maybe it has something to do with soccer.

Anyway, after walking around Dominion Place for a while it was time for the Gray Line Tour. 

If you've never taken one, I highly recommend it.  It's always my first stop in a new city.  The guides are always excellent.  And Antonio did not disappoint.  For three hours, he kept up an amusing and informative commentary about the city and its' history.

We drove to Vieux Montreal, the old part of the city.  

First, we passed through Chinatown, which is pretty small, but was packed.  It extends about ten blocks.  The other side of the street was more crowded, but my fellow bus passengers were blocking the view.  No cars are allowed in Chinatown.  

A huge attraction in Old Montreal is the Notre Dame Cathedral.  The outside is beautiful. 

  The inside is supposed to be even more incredible, but a wedding kept us on the outside.

Speaking of weddings, Antonio told us that Celine Dion and Rene Whateverhisnameis were married here. 

The rest of Old Montreal is simply beautiful.  It's neo-classical architecture and old-style French buildings.  Lots of restaurants and shops, ivy-covered hotels, and very elegant.

Notice the authentic gas lamp on the right-hand side of the photo. They actually work!
I will definitely be returning to this neighborhood to spend several hours.  

Pretty Classy

I took a photo of the view from my room.  Then I turned around and saw the print on the wall next to the bed:

It's the same view!  I thought that was really cool.  Since the skyscraper behind St. Catherine's Cathedral is also in the photo, it must not have been painted that long ago.

I've stayed in some nice places, but I can honestly say, I've never stayed in a room with artwork of the view!

I have the option of moving to a higher floor on Monday.  We'll see.  Even though I'm on the 4th floor, it's been fairly quiet.  I don't mind a little city noise.  It reminds me of home.

You mean you're ALONE???

This is not my breakfast.  It's close, but I was so hungry that I ate the eggs, bagel and EXCELLENT potatoes before I could photograph them.  Still drinking the coffee.

The potatoes, by the way, were like mini potato latkes, with a bit of chive in them.  Very good.

Sufficiently fortified, I want to write something I neglected last night.  When I arrived at Canadian Customs, I was grilled, for what seemed an extremely long time, about why I was traveling alone.  

Solo male travelers came and went, at the booth to my left, none with these questions.  I was asked (by a female Customs agent) if I was married, if I would be meeting my husband in Canada, why I was traveling alone, would I be meeting anyone to travel with, where I would be staying, would I meet anyone to visit during the trip etc. etc.  

I realize many of the questions are asked of anyone.  But trust me.  I have traveled alone to Tahiti, Australia, Belize, and many cities in the U.S. before, never with this intense level of grilling.

I think she was truly surprised that I was not going to a conference, meeting a husband etc.

......who knows.  Maybe I WILL meet a husband here...   :)

Off to begin my day.

I have ARRIVED

Oh Canada!

This photo was taken about an hour into my wait for my friend Drew.  I waited, and waited, but the aforementioned lunch never happened.

Oh well.  On to MONTREAL!

The flight on Air Canada was very pleasant.  I even had an entire row to myself.  The movie, "Kung Fu Panda" was just silly.  So Mr. iPod went into action.  

Upon arrival...

I took this ancient and spray-painted former city bus to my hotel, the Marriott Chateau Champlain in beautiful downtown Montreal.  My room is on the 4th floor and overlooks a small park.  

And the room is small, but pretty.

I've ordered an early room service breakfast as a treat, since I never got that lunch, they only served snacks you had to pay for on the plane (Pringles and cashews didn't cut it, baby) and room service dinner stopped just after I got to my room.

HUNGRY!  

Tomorrow, the Gray Line sightseeing tour.  I promise a much more interesting post.

Waiting in Vancouver

Well, I'm sitting here at Domestic Arrivals, at the Vancouver International Airport, waiting for my friend Drew to meet me for lunch.    And guess what?  They have FREE WI-FI here!

So....why not blog?

The flight from Seattle to Vancouver was completely easy and uneventful.  No significant lines at security, and no big lines at customs when the tiny Air Canada Dash-8 arrived.  However, it's a LONG walk to customs from the tiny plane gate.  

I needed the exercise.   

Drew's not supposed to meet me until almost noon, so I'll explore a little bit.  Just wanted to find my destination before I took off.

Drew Snider is a PR executive at Vancouver's transit agency....they operate light rail and busses.   He's a former radio talk-show host and news guy from Victoria and Vancouver. 

It's a 4-hour layover, so it'll be nice to meet up with my friend.

OK, I've got to stop blogging now.  There's  4-year old girl loudly singing Christmas carols about 4 feet away.  It was cute when she sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, but she's into her 5th chorus of "Jingle Bells" now.  Must change my seat.

More later.

Smile! You're on Candid Camera!!!

Guess who's appearing on YouTube?? :)

Pride of Ownership

This painting dominates the east wall of my living room.  It was painted by my sister Anne and has always been a favorite.

Her use of color is lovely, although I'm afraid the photo doesn't do it justice.  

This painting makes me feel like I'm being swept into the center, by the colors.  I'll try to take the photo again in the daylight. Maybe then the intensity of the pinks, oranges and yellows will come out.  

The "Finer" Things in Life

Cheap Red Wine. For some reason, I really enjoy Cheap Red Wine.

I have gone out with more sophisticated friends who have invited me to try their $65 bottle of Chez Whateverthehellthisis or the $78 Whitecrapotasticswill and I have tried to enjoy the bouquet. Really.

I have tried to pick up the floral notes, the oak notes, taste the fine earth where the grapes have been grown.

But when you get right down to it, nothing beats my Cheap Red Wine. Especially Yellowtail Shiraz. If you let it sit in the glass for about 30 minutes before you drink it, man, it's great.

And, at only $6.95 a bottle (used to be $5.95 before everyone ELSE found out about it) it's quite a bargain.

Heck, I only drink on Fridays. And even then, usually not more than a couple of glasses.

Allow me this indulgence.

And God Bless Cheap Red Wine.

Somebody needs a Haircut!

I'm playing around with my new camera.  (Thank you, Eric, for all of your help!!!).  I've found I can only download photos on my blog if I copy the photo from iPhoto onto the desktop, and add it to the blog from there.  Please let me know if you know of a way to download the photos directly from iPhoto.

And yes, Dudley STILL needs a haircut!!!!

Looking to the Future

What's out there? What's going to happen? I can only anticipate. Sometimes the future just sneaks up on you.