Montreal road trip: part III

Sun morning Serge had school again so Tornwordo Spouse & I met for breakfast at Les Belles Soeurs (Pretty Sisters) because Tornwordo likes the bagels there.  I was amazed by the restroom which was cylindrical in shape and had an 'under the sea' theme.

Then the 3 of us hopped in the car and headed out of the city.  We drove about 1 1/2 hours to Mont Tremblant, an attractive ski resort.

Mont Tremblant

Just over Spouse's shoulder you can see the ski lift which we planned to ride to the top of the mountain.  Unfortunately it was not operating that day.

The ground floor is retail and commercial space and the upper floors are hotel rooms and timeshares

The ski resort kinda has a Disney World look to it, but I liked it anyway.  At least its better than big boxy hotels.

One of the vendors sold a delicious confection called a Beavertail.  Its a light crust with any variety of toppings to choose from.  We decided to share one.

Ours had Nutella, peanut butter sauce, and Reese's pieces - so good!

We continued exploring the area and saw these adorable ski chalets nestled into the side of the mountain...

and stopped briefly at a casino to use the restroom.  While inside I saw this cool glass-enclosed fireplace and made Spouse pose next to it.

Once back in Montreal we met up with Serge for happy hour at Le Stud and then had dinner at La Baracke where we had the cutest waiter, Kevin!

Group shot with Kevin

Spouse & Tornwordo

Serge & me

After dinner we returned to Tornwordo & Serge's house to visit for a while before returning to our little studio.

Mon morning Spouse & I visited the famous Tim Horton's, which reminded us of Dunkin Donuts.  The coffee was good and the maple-glazed donut was delicious!

Spouse & I set off on foot again to continue exploring.

Notice the rainbow flag and same-sex ads on this TD bank

One of the places I wish we had more time to explore was Parc La Fontaine.  Its large and beautiful with ponds and benches and trees.  It was designed by the same architect that designed Central Park in NYC.  Spouse & I enjoyed relaxing there and watching the people and wildlife.

Spouse in Parc La Fontaine

Selfie at Parc La Fontaine

After Tornwordo finished his class he met us for lunch at L'Oeufrier and then we went to the underground city.  Many of the government offices and hotels in the downtown area are connected by a network of underground shops, eateries and businesses.  Even the metro and train are connected there.

Underground city train station

Tornwordo returned home and Spouse & I returned to our little studio to rest up a bit and change clothes.  Then the 4 of us went to dinner at Pintxo for tapas.  Tornwordo had previewed the menu and noted several items we should try, so Spouse & I decided to let him order for the 4 of us.  We started with cocktails of course.

The food was unusual but really good.  I'd never tried liver patte, foie gras, carpaccio or black pudding before and asked them not to tell me what they were until after I'd sampled them!  It was a great meal and we had a really fun time.

Serge & Spouse at Pintxo

Tornwordo & me

Spouse & me take a selfie at Pintxo

And because it was our last night in Montreal, we went back to 1000 Grammes for the 3rd time to have cake!  Tornwordo & Serge came with us this time to experience what we'd been raving about.

Tornwordo & Serge were so generous with their time during our visit!  They gave us a map to help us navigate the city, accompanied us on most of our explorations, and shared their knowledge of Montreal.  We ate dinner together every night and had breakfast or lunch together nearly every day.  What great tour guides and wonderful friends they've become!

The next morning we packed up the car, set the GPS for home, and hit the road at 9am.  With a 15-minute wait to cross the border and 3 brief stops for food, gas, and bathroom, we got home at 7pm.  It was a really fun trip but we were happy to see Marvin & Walter when we got home.

Montreal road trip: part II

Sat morning we met up with Tornwordo (Serge had school) and walked to the Old Port.  It is easily recognizable as the oldest part of the city and distinctively different with its beautiful old architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and romantic feeling.

We had a late breakfast/early lunch at olive + gourmando, a cute and popular spot.  The menu is creative and I couldn't resist the Viva Las Vegan.

I normally don't eat tofu because of its texture, but this combination of ingredients made me go for it.  It was delicious!  Next we walked around Old Port and took in the sites, including the Notre-Dame basilica, St Lawrence riverfront, and the Jacque-Cartier bridge.

Notre-Dame basilica

Spouse in the Old Port

Time for a selfie!

St Lawrence riverfront with Jacque-Cartier bridge in the distance

I managed to pick up an adorable Chihuahua Christmas tree ornament as a souvenir of our trip.  I can't wait to hang it on our tree this year.

Next week took the transit bus to Marche Jean-Talon, a large indoor/outdoor farmers market.

Spouse at Marche Jean-Talon

Beautifully colored cauliflower

Then we took the subway to the Olympic Village, home of the 1976 Olympic games where Bruce Jenner and Greg Louganis both won gold medals.  We visited the stadium/pool, planetarium, and Biodome.

Olympic stadium

Another view of the stadium

Enormous pool

Then the 3 of us met Serge at Tornwordo & Serge's house to relax and visit a bit.  Then we went for happy hour at Le Lab, a 1920s-looking speakeasy.

Enjoying unusual cocktails at Le Lab

Next we were off to experience the best poutine in Montreal at La Banquise.  Traditional poutine is french fries with soft white cheddar cheese curd and gravy which I ordered.

Delicious traditional poutine

Spouse's poutine with a sliced corn dog on top!

There are many, many possible toppings for poutine and La Banquise had a dizzying menu of options.  I can understand why its so popular - its delicious!  Then we headed back to the gay village for a drink at Stock Bar and at L'Aigle Noir (Black Eagle).

Me & Spouse at the Black Eagle

One of the bartenders checking his phone on his break

We said goodnight to Tornwordo & Serge who headed home, but Spouse & I were in the mood for some delicious cake from 1000 Grammes so we picked up a slice to go.  We  walked back to our little studio and ate the cake while watching 'Grace & Frankie'.

Montreal Road trip: part I

Spouse & I packed up the ML 350 and were on the road by 8:15am on Thurs.  We made 1 brief stop in upper DE to get coffee, another brief stop in NJ for lunch, and another brief stop in NY for gas.  We encountered no traffic delays (even at the border) and really enjoyed seeing the beautiful fall foliage.  I didn't take any photos of the foliage since I was driving.  The GPS worked great, and we talked a lot of the way but also listened to some music.

We arrived at Tornwordo & Serge's house in Montreal shortly after 7pm, so it took us a total of 10 hours.  We visited with them and Georgie, and enjoyed a lovely snack with sparkling wine to toast our arrival which was very thoughtful of them.

The 4 of us made our way across town, brought our luggage inside our apartment, and then had delicious pizza at La Piazetta, then stopped in for a drink at Campus.  

Tornwordo & Serge

The open kitchen at La Piazetta

Tornwordo & Serge helped us get our bearings by providing us with a map and several nice tips.  Montreal is in the province of Quebec which is French-speaking.  Many people in Montreal can speak some English which is good since my French is quite limited.  Even when I am able to string together a coherent sentence in French, when the person replies in French I am over my head.

A neat thing about downtown Montreal is that the City has a lot of free wifi.  Most of the time I was able to find free wifi connections which enabled me to use my iPhone to post photos to Facebook.

Tornwordo & Serge took our car back to their house where it could be parked on the street for free and we settled into our little apartment.  It was a studio in a building I would estimate to have been built in the late 60s or early 70s.  We found it on AirBnB.com and selected it for its ultra convenient location and the fact that it had a balcony.  

The studio was located less than a block from a metro station and just 1 block to Ste Catherine St which is the main street of Le Village (the gay village) where many of the gay bars, restaurants, and clubs are located.  The studio was on the 6th floor of the building and the balcony offered a great view of Mont Royal, the tallest spot in the city.

Fri morning Spouse & I headed over to Ste Catherine St to have breakfast at Chez Cora.  Spouse had a traditional breakfast while I had a lovely French crepe filled with Nutella, apples, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, grapes, and melon.  C'est magnifique!

Then we got on the Hop On/Hop Off bus for a narrated tour of the city.  One of the stops was the Oratory of St Joseph on Mont Royal.

I also liked the building across the street from it which is the College du Notre-Dame de Montreal.

The bus also stopped for photos from a hillside vantage point which offered great views of the city.

The St Laurence river on the right and the Olympic Stadium in the center

The Olympic Stadium on the right and the city on the left

After the bus tour we continued exploring on foot, stopping into stores and peeking at menus of restaurants.  In the late afternoon we returned to the apartment to rest up a little and change clothes, then we met Serge for happy hour at Sky Complex, then a 2nd drink at Lounge L'Un et L'Autre where Tornwordo met up with us.

Spouse

Serge

Next the 4 of us went to dinner Le Saloon, a chic bistro with very cool black and white wallpaper.

Serge & Tornwordo - check out the wallpaper!

Spouse & me

The food was great and the atmosphere was noisy and fun!  After dinner we bid adieu to our friends and Spouse & I went in search of something sweet to end our night.  Just down Ste Catherine St we found 1000 grammes where we shared an amazing slice of cake called 'Explosion Chocolate Praline'.  It was probably 1 of the most delicious cakes I've even eaten!  We walked back to the studio and watched a little TV before going to bed.