To finish off Day 4, let me just say that our luck in Montreal has not been magnifique. To begin the disappointment: after an afternoon of walking around in Centre-Ville (why can't Toronto feel like Scotland, Ottawa and Barcelona all wrapped in one?), we felt like some comfort food for dinner and set off for a nearby sushi place recommended by our hosts. Wouldn't you know it's closed on Mondays? We satisfied our craving (or in my case, addiction) in a little sushi join in the Latin Quarter, then tucked in for the night.
Day 5: The beds get a million thumbs up here. They're confections of comfortable cotton that you disappear into. Our room is perfect, and our hosts (though we've mostly seen Rob) are wonderful. We had a little breakfast upstairs in the couple's living/dining room, and chatted about everything from Lady Gaga to the Spanish Civil War. Finally, Roger and I decided to continue our exploration of the city south, to Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal).
We've done a fair amount of walking here, and I've got to say - I never knew Montreal was so progressive with bicycles and pedestrian spaces. There are dedicated bike lanes everywhere, divided from the actual roads by boulevards. They also have a point-to-point bike rental service here, like ZIP cars. We decided it was a bit too cool to bike much (the wind here is chilling), so have been walking everywhere instead. After a nice stroll by the Saint Laurent, we stopped at the Museum of Archaeology and History of Montreal. What a labyrinth of a building! Its location wasn't chosen so much as set in stone - literally. The museum hovers over the remains of the first settlement in the city, as well as a later Insurance Building from the 1800s. Beneath the museum, in the sous-sol, is a maze of huge stone blocks, making up the old walls of the 18th Century governor's house, or an old cemetery for the original settlers killed mostly by Iroquoian raids, or old plumbing systems from its Victorian occupation. It was pretty interesting. We also got to see a fun temporary exhibit on Easter Island. I've been fascinated by Polynesian Archaeology since my last year of University, so I was happy! After our museumness, we grabbed some lunch and walked around Old Montreal, finally arriving back at the B&B in time to get ready for our Symphony. Before we left, we considered ordering some Thai take-out for our return (we knew it'd be late) and swung by the restaurant. Wouldn't you know that the nearby Thai place, again recommended by our hosts, was closed due to the owners being on vacation? Gaaah!
We made ourselves fabulous, then caught a cab to the Place-Des Arts. The symphony was excellent. Nagano interpreted Mahler with as much passion as he's famous for, and also treated us to some Haydn piano and German romanticism (a piece called In The Summer Wind) beforehand. Though Roger and I did note that our presence probably dropped the average age by a good 20 years. Anyone who knows Mahler knows we didn't get home early, so we got back, ate something small, then dropped into bed.
Day 6:
Our plans today consisted of the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens, and maybe the Marche Jean-Talon in Little Italy, just north of the downtown. Rob suggested we eat lunch up at the market, which turned out to be an excellent idea. Roger and I ate like natives, at a little boulangerie just behind the main market. He had a very tasty beef and roasted vegetable sandwich on an incredible-looking bread, and I had a homemade spinach quiche. Delicious! Roger gave into his sweet-tooth for dessert and bought a butter pastry (they look like cassette tapes, and are super flaky), while I resisted the temptation caused by a delectable-looking creme brulee that sat beckoning from behind the glass. The bakery also sold tasty looking cakes and pies, and bulk pate - something I'd never seen before. They all looked delicious. The market was great - colour and texture everywhere. Our curiosity was piqued by a small butcher selling various meats, and we bought some smoked duck to try. Delicious. They also sold wild Quebec boar (Sanglier en francais, as anyone who reads too much Asterix y Obelix should know), bison, deer, and rabbit. Roger was fascinated by a type of cauliflower/broccoli that looked like something from an alien planet. The florets formed fractal patterns, jutting out more like crystal than vegetable. I liked the stems of brussel sprouts one booth sold - neither Roger nor I had ever realised they grew like that. They looked like gladiolas! Finally, we headed back to the B&B to rest before carrying on to the Botanical Gardens.
No Biodome, though. Remember how I said "bad luck"? Well, as I checked the computer this morning, I discovered that due to renovations, the Biodome is closed until December 4th. Whaa??? They said NOTHING of this a couple months ago, when I was planning our trip. Gah. So instead, we're off to the Botanical Gardens and the Insectarium, to see the Chinese Lantern Festival. I'm also curious to see the Jardin d'Autochtone (Native American Garden) they have.
Stay tuned for more!
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