The 28 th September Was our first overcast day since Rimouski on the 15 th September!
But that didn't dampen our enthusiasm to explore this other lovely French Canadian city. We first went off to find the Post Office.Quite a task but we ended up getting help from a local lady who happened to be taking photos of some buildings near the Marina, with her I Pad.
She didn't know the whereabouts of the Post Office branches , but after checking on line then finally telephoning the Main office found out there was one quite close to the Basilica where we were plan to visit next .On the way we passed by China town with its white lions guarding the entrance.We had noticed a large Asian presence in this city. After posting my parcels we four ( Lynne and John were still with us )went in for a tour of the Notre Dame Basilica .What an amazing church and our guide was excellent .
This was Jesus and Pontius Pilate sculptured in wood.
We wandered through the street afterwards and stopped for lunch at a chain restaurant called Tutti Fruiti.So far our least favorite meal on the trip.But is was cheap and we got , soup , salad ,main course and coffee all for $27 a person! We then went off searching for the best baguette.John had found a great little patisserie near the Marina, when he had gone looking for the morning croissants..So we stopped in there and found what we were looking for. Lynne and I played Canasta for a couple of hours while Graeme and John washed down the boat.Dinner in the evening was Drews CYC Gumbo , followed by the river shrimp we had bought in Gaspe and a big salad . And of course followed by cheese and baguette!
The 29 th was also an overcast day , but surprisingly the weather had not been cold here.
John thought we were on a good thing with our croissant breakfasts , so he went off again to get croissants with Lynne and Graeme in tow.
We had a leisurely morning time and then Lynne and John packed and headed for the airport .We were sorry to see them leave , we have had a wonderful six days together and they were great guests to have on board. Graeme and I decided to do a little retail therapy , I ended up a pair of Moose leather Indian moccasins , they will be perfect for Florida and Graeme found a nice casual watch to add to his collection. We cooked dinner onboard , Chicken Tikka, rice and broccoli very easy .Afterwards we watched a DVD , Graeme had found a couple of them the Marina office earlier .This one starred Richard Gere and was called Arbitrage..By the time we went to bed it was raining pretty solidly and continued most of the night.
30 thSeptember was a very wet and windy day and now the cooler weather had arrived.
We didn't feel like going out, staying our cosy boat had much more appeal!
But after lunch we decided to head to the Beaux Art Museum of Montreal.Graeme thought we should take a taxi and when we were finally able to get one , we went all over the city, due to road works and our Yugoslavian driver who talked non stop was telling us of his life before Canada and how he worked in the YugoslavianEmbassy in Washington DC .This was prior to the breakup into the two separate countries of Serbia and Croatia. The taxi ride also gave us a chance to see more of the city It turns out this city had four universities , two French and the two English ( McGill and Concordia) .
We saw lots of students walking about in the Art and Museum.area .At the Beaux Art , we got to see three levels of art work including a room exclusively with things of Napoleon and Josephine. Just a feast of wonderful art. There were even two other buildings , one housing contemporary art and the other Canadian artists., but we felt we couldn't absorb any more today .
Back to the boat via the metro which was fast and efficient and a short walk from the Marina.
For dinner Graeme had a desire to try the Morrocan Restaurant he had seen, so we walked back later in the evening for a fun experience.The restaurant was set at basement level and had low tables and sofas and a tent like ceiling .Our waiter was indeed from Morocco and even wore his Fez style hat.
It was a set menu with about eight MiddleEastern small plates to start. They were filled with different vegetables , hummus and served with warm pitta breads. Graeme had Couscous Royale and I the lamb shank and prunes as a main course , this was followed by baklava desserts and sweet mint tea. What a feast!
Got back and watched the second DVD, called War Horse. Off to bed about 11 .15 pm! One of our later bedtimes!!,
Tomorrow off on the journey of the Locks!
Over and Out,
S and S
No comments:
Post a Comment