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'.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

We had a great time in Montreal!!  Although we didn't expect to have Tornwordo as our tour guide every day, he generously spent time with us during each day of our visit and we saw lots of great sites and had a ball.  

Photos and descriptions will be coming in next week's posts.

Tomorrow night is Halloween.  My crazy friend Liz texted me this:

Our longtime friends Ron & James and Mike & Clark are coming today for for their annual weekend visit.  We used to hang out a lot when we lived in VA, and they would come visit our beach house with us every year beginning in 2003.  So this weekend is our 13th annual weekend together.  We don't tend to 'do' a lot when they're here (ie: site seeing).  Since we only see them once a year we usually spend it talking, drinking, laughing, eating, and catching up on the goings on in each others lives.  

Can I see a show of hands of who was surprised that Tim Gunn used his 'Tim Gunn Save' to bring Edmond back?  Anyone?  Anyone??

Have a fun and safe Halloween weekend!!

Montreal bound!

This morning we left on our road trip to Montreal!  (Yes, I wrote this yesterday and set it to post today.)

I'm excited for several reasons:

1. Neither of us have been to Montreal before and I've heard it is reminiscent of Paris
2. We will get to spend time with our friend Tornwordo and his husband who live nearby.  They've offered to be our personal tour guides during part of our visit
3. I enjoy road trips because Spouse & I often have good conversations, listen to lots of good music, and on this particular road trip we'll get to see lots of colorful fall foliage
4. Our studio apartment is right in the heart of the gay village, offering us walking access to many ethnic food restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, entertainment, and the metro which will take us nearly anywhere
5. Spouse will get to use some of his 'use it or lose it' leave from work
6. We're going in Spouse's ML 350 which has built in navigation, although I'm bringing printed directions just to be on the safe side
7. Since we're not flying we won't have to squeeze into seats designed to fit purging super-models, we won't get infected by sick travelers, and we'll have the ability to stop if we see something interesting along the way
8. Driving gives us the freedom to bring as much stuff as we want.  Rather than picking just 1 jacket and hoping its sufficient for the weather we encounter, I can bring more than 1 since we'll have plenty of room in the car
   

Road trip

We're going to Montreal!

Since I'm a real estate agent in a beach resort area, I typically do not take vacations during the busy summertime.  For a couple months now Spouse & I have been talking about taking a fall trip or getaway, and we've decided we're going to Montreal in late October. 

Neither of us has been to Montreal before so we are excited to explore some place new and different.  But fortunately for us, we won't need to explore the city entirely on our own.  Our friend and fellow blogger Tornwordo of Sticky Crows and his husband will play 'tour guide' for us some of the days.

We booked a studio apartment in Le Village (the gay village) with a balcony, so we'll have the convenience of being able to walk to restaurants, shopping, and metro, and have a view of the city.  

We're going to drive there.  Its been several years since we've taken a 'road trip' so I'm kind of looking forward to listening to lots of music and talking with Spouse.  The foliage should be pretty all along the way north.  We could have flown, but when you add the time it takes us to get to an airport, the waiting after check-in, the flight, and the travel from the airport to Montreal, it would take the same amount of time as driving.  So we're saving the airfare in favor of driving.

Does anyone have any recommendations for fun or unusual places to see/visit/eat?

Visitors, part 2

On Thurs Tornwordo & Serge and I went to Crystal for breakfast, and they got to meet our favorite breakfast server Pau Pau.  Serge agreed to try scrapple for the 1st time and said he liked it.  Scrapple seems to be 1 of those food items you either love or hate.

After breakfast we went for a nice long walk on the boardwalk.  The weather was really nice, as opposed to last year's visit when we had to abort our walk due to the wind and chilly temperature.  Then we ducked into a few beach shops in search of souvenir T-shirts, and Tornwordo got an ice cream cone.  Check out these crazy flavors:

Afterward we did a little 'exploring' near the beach and talked about real estate prices and vacation rental prices, then headed back home.  Again we sat out on the porch with the dogs for a while and talked and looked at facebook.

I organized a small happy hour so Tornwordo & Serge could meet some of our friends.  We met up with Steven, Joe P, Joey, and Spouse (a little later) at Saketumi where we ordered cocktails and various sushi rolls to share.  We had a great time and were there for 3 hours!

Afterward we returned to the screened porch for a final cocktail and lots of good conversations.

The next day my friends from the North packed up their stuff and left after a bit of coffee.  They headed to NJ and I went to work.

We had a great visit and I feel honored to have been included again on their road trip.  Now Spouse & I must come up with a plan to visit Montreal!

Visitors

Yesterday famed blogger Tornwordo & his husband Serge arrived!  They are spending the week on a road trip visiting friends in the MA, NY and here in DE.  They only stayed over 1 night during last years visit. This time they're staying over 2 nights, so I guess we made them comfortable enough!

The weather was gorgeous today so after settling in the 3 of us sat out on the screened porch with Marvin & Walter and started getting caught up.

Tornwordo

Serge with Marvin

Marvin & Walter

A few hours later Spouse arrived home from work and the 4 of us went to Dos Locos for margaritas and dinner.  Spouse had salmon, I had veggie fajitas, Tornwordo had my favorite: spicy tomatilla pork burrito, and Serge had Stonegrill tuna.  We had a great meal and a great time!

Serge & Tornwordo

After dinner Spouse went home and the 3 of us walked over to the Blue Moon for the opening night of the Rehoboth Idol contest.  (I won this contest in 2011.)  It was fun to watch the contestants and chat with folks.  We got home about midnight but sat out on the porch talking again until 1am.

More details on the rest of their visit later!

Blogger visit

I've had the honor of meeting several bloggers over the years, and I must say that I am never disappointed. They have all been just as 'real' as their blog posts, and usually even more charming.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of welcoming Tornwordo from Sticky Crows and his husband Serge who live in Montreal.  They are on a week-long Mid-Atlantic/Northeastern roadtrip and included my little seaside hamlet.

They arrived around noon, so after hugs and a short visit with Marvin, I took them to Rehoboth Beach for lunch.  We ate at the Green Turtle, a 2nd floor restaurant overlooking the ocean, which on a clear day would afford spectacular views.  Unfortunately it was overcast and gray so the view was not so spectacular.  But we talked over lunch and snapped a selfie before leaving.

Me, Serge, Tornwordo

Next we went for a walk on the boardwalk.  We actually ducked into a souvenir shop for a possible sweatshirt purchase for Serge since the chilly breeze was coming off the ocean and it was only in the 50s. But a brisk walk helped warm us up.  Back in the car, I showed them around town a bit, and then we headed back home, with a couple detours around my little hamlet.  More conversation, stories, and the next thing I knew, Spouse was coming home from work.  How the time flew by!  The 4 of us went to dinner at Fins Ale House & Raw Bar.

Tornwordo behind my dirty martini

I had the fried oyster dinner with seasonal veggies and tater tots.  Spouse had the balsamic glazed salmon, and Tornwordo had the lobster roll and Serge had Mediterranean pasta.  Everything was delicious and our dinner was made even better by the great conversations.

Smiles all around!

Once back at home Tornwordo introduced us to a game called Heads Up, which is kind of like charades, except just 1 person is trying to guess the word from clues given by the rest of the folks.  Serge was trying to guess the word "Yoda" so Tornwordo was imitating Yoda's voice and common phrases.  Then I said that it rhymes with the word soda.  Serge said "Sparacus!" and we all burst into laughter.  Later, Tornwordo was trying to guess the word "Pegasus" so my clue was a horse with a horn on its head.  He correctly said what I described which is a unicorn, so then Spouse corrected me by saying "a horse with wings".  Again, laughter nearly crippled us for several minutes.  All that brainwork and laughing made us thirsty so we had a couple glasses of Proseco with St Germaine before going to bed at midnight.

The next morning Spouse said his goodbyes before heading off to work and the 3 of us enjoyed coffee and more conversations.  After quick showers we walked to JD's Cafe for breakfast, and then my friends from the great white north were on their way to their next fantastic destination.  Although we'd never met in person before, it certainly didn't feel like I'd spent 24 hours with strangers.  Rather, it seemed like time spent with friends I hadn't seen in a long time.