After a leisurely morning of sleeping in, I set off on foot to explore the city. My first destination was Chinatown. I was intrigued buy the bustling narrow streets. I saw some interesting buildings, great signs and ducks hanging in windows. I sat in the square and just watched for a bit.
My legs got a workout walking the hill back to Old Town. I headed to the shops in the old domed building by the water. I was pleasantly surprised to find local artisan shops. Lots of lovely pieces of art. I bought a couple of Montreal made pieces of clothing and chatted with sales people. They gave me some local tips on food. One lady called me the happiest, most enthusiastic customer she has had after spending some time chatting. Lovely morning.
Next stop, lunch at the Restaurant des Gouverneurs. I ordered the house specialty, the Portuguese chicken. It was a warmly spiced chicken served with a cup of sauce that tasted a little of horseradish. Delicious!!
After lunch, I took in some art galleries I found along the streets of Old Town. Lots of beautiful paintings by Quebec artists.
Then, back to the hotel to drop off bags and sit for a moment. Speaking of the hotel - I forgot to tell you about my morning "whoops." Our hotel wi-fi package includes free calls, including free international calls. So, I thought I would try the kids. I looked up the US country code for dialing and tried to place a call using the directions in hotel's info book. No success. So, I tried the directs for a long distance call. Unfortunately, the first 3 numbers the sequence I was dialing were 9-1-1. Yep, I called 911...twice. Then, I got a call from the front desk asking if I was ok. Whoops:(
After a short stop at the hotel, I headed back out. This time my destination was the St. Laurence River. I stopped in a shop to pick up a coffee to take with me. Oh so relaxing...sitting in the sunshine, drinking coffee, and watching the boats and people. (See pic below - taken by a lady who offered after seeing me taking pics of scenery)
"Did I really just see what I thought I just saw?!" Yep, there were some crazy people out in bikinis lounging in the sun on top of a Spa boat. It was in the lower 50's. The rest of us were bundled in coats because of the breeze coming off the water. (Pic of the black boat below)
I walked both ways up and down the river. I stopped to talk to a dock worker about a big red ship in port. It was drawing a crowd and the authorities had just shown up. It seems that new owners had just taken over the boat that morning -- and had released some type of chemicals in the water. The dock worker went on to tell what happens when a boat changes hands. The flags would be changed, old names and markings would be painted over and the boat would set sail in a couple of weeks. (See red Hong Kong boat below)
The port used to be the pride of Montreal. Lots of imports and exports were loaded onto boats using the lifts in the pictures below. What used to be a bustling port and loading area, now looks like old rusty grain storage bins. (Pics below)
I rounded up my walk with a little more walking thru Old Town. You will see more pics below. If you haven't already figured it out, I'm in love with Old Town.
Eric got back around 4:30. We set off to see Olympic Parc. There are pics below of the Olympic Swimming Arena. Additionally, we just drove around neighborhoods. In fact, everyday we have driven around neighborhoods exploring.
We made a stop at Crescent Street - a busy street lined with pubs and nightclubs for a drink. Then, we headed to Gibby's for dinner. Gibby's is a upscale restaurant housed in an old horse stable. They are known for their steaks. Dinner was great. I got a kick out of the bowl of garlicky whole pickles they bring with the bread basket. Yum. I also got a kick out of the sorbet they serve between the salad course and the main course. We left there stuffed. Again, I was thankful for all the walking. Hopefully, the hours of walking will help to balance all the food.
Today, it's a rainy day in Montreal. Still planning my day - I think I will do some exploring in The Underground and maybe take the Metro to a museum. First stop, heading to see the Concierge to help me figure out if I can get there by Metro. Wish me "Bon chance" ( good luck) that I don't get lost today.
By the way, take a look at the picture of the walkway between the buildings in our hotel. The skylight covers the area between the two buildings (both part of our hotel). There are shops and access to The Underground tunnels and shops.
No comments:
Post a Comment