Day 5 - More rain, more animals

  • Posted on July 25, 2006 at 11:32 pm

We woke up a bit late today…the cheese curd on the poutine last night really turned us into zombies.
We got a complete “American” Breakfast at the cafe in our hotel this morning. Thank god, really, because I really didn’t want to eat a Canadian Breakfast.
We decided to start the day with a visit to the Biodome, at the old Olympic Village in Montreal. From the architecture, you might think the Olympics were here in 1970, but I actually think they were held here in 1986. So, getting to the Biodome required navigating the Montreal metro system–all in French, of course. We managed to buy the tickets, insert them into the proper slot, and get on the right train!
The Biodome was cool–we saw lots of exotic animals, like the weird, smelly, hairy, pig-like creature.

Hairy Stinky Pig

We did not see Pauly Shore, which was a big disappointment. Doesn’t he live in the biodome? Maybe he was hibernating.
We then took the metro to the “Mile End” neighborhood, and we got bagels at the Fairmont Bagel maison, one of Montreal’s most famous bagelries. Little known fact: Montreal is known for its bagels, a lighter, sweeter, chewier version than the ones we are used to in the US. The bagels were so good. We ate them in a park, while the sky became darker and darker.

Fairmount Bagel
On our walk home, we came across an enticing restaurant bragging “100 bieres” (100 beers). We couldn’t resist. (Although interestingly, none of their 100 beers were from the US.) As we drank, it rained and rained. 2 beers later, we made a run for it to the nearest metro.
We decided to check out Fourquet Fourchette for dinner–the restaurant the serves Unibroue beer, one of Larry’s favorite breweries. I had a conversation completely in French with our concierge, and she made a reservation at the restaurant for us. It was a good thing, because when we got there, there was a large table of about 30 guests, and a man playing guitar and singing Quebec folk songs to them VERY LOUDLY. But, the other 100 tables in the giant restaurant were completely empty. We don’t quite understand why, because the food was very good. Larry had in house-smoked salmon and a Caribou filet, and I had pate and a “bravette” of beef, whatever that is.

Caribou Dinner

The only explanation for the empty seats is that the city is “between festivals”, as the concierge said when I told her the story (in French, of course.)
We’re sitting at a cafe now, eating gelato and planning out tomorrow. We’re going to check out the art museum, go to Old Montreal, and then to top off the day, we’ll be eating dinner at Au Pied de Cochon, the magical foie gras goodness restaurant.
Oh, P.S. to Aunt Char, Rhett Miller is my favorite singer/songwriter. I heart Rhett!

Day 4 - Montreal, finally

  • Posted on July 25, 2006 at 10:50 pm

After breakfast on Monday, we hit the road for Montreal. It was a pretty drive through the Adirondack Mountains, although we had a hard time finding a place to eat lunch. None of the little towns were open! We finally found an Irish hole-in-the-wall in Elizabethtown. There, we met a very friendly grandma who told us that the chairs in the restaurant looked just like the ones in the prison up north. She didn’t seem like she had done any hard time, but you never know. Some grandmas are crazy.
We breezed through Canadian customs–thank god. I always get nervous, even though I have nothing to hide. We made it to Montreal, and Larry was a bit frazzled by that point because he couldn’t read any of the signs. He was driving blind, relying on me to tell him where to turn. But I’m a good navigator, and we made it!
Our hotel, the Hotel St. Denis, is in the Latin Quarter, with lots of shops, bars, restaurants and vagabonds nearby. There are scruffy young kids peddling for money, or just hanging out on the corners looked despondent. And most of them have the cutest little puppies. It’s sad–I just know those puppies haven’t had their shots. Our hotel room is small and dark, but clean. It’s not luxurious, but it suits our needs just fine.
We walked around our neighborhood, stopped off in a cafe and had a Stella Artois beer, and then ate dinner at a local brewpub, where we had our first experience with poutine. It’s a Quebequoise specialty that consists of french fries, gravy and cheese curd. It tastes better than it sounds, trust me. But those curds must expand in the stomach, because we were so full after dinner that we just went back to the hotel room and crashed. The beer was good-similar to what you’d find at the Rock Bottom Brewery in the USA.
Montreal is wonderful. I’ve tried out a few French words, and I’ve been told by husband to stop being such a wuss and just TRY to speak more French. It is so cool to hear French spoken all around me, and see signs and billboards in French.

Smartie Sign

The Canadian accent is not as strange as I thought it would be. My French vocabulary, formerly hidden in the depths of my brain, is slowly making its way to the surface and I’m remembering more and more.
Alor, c’est tout…a demain!
Oh, and P.S., our hotel does not have Internet access (what were we thinking?) so that makes things a bit difficult with the blogging. We’re trying, though!

The drive to New York

  • Posted on July 25, 2006 at 10:08 pm

A little taste of our drive to New York. It rained most of the way, but was pleasant otherwise. Video editing is coming along slowly, as there is little time with all the fun we are having. More to come later.