Day 6

Rewind <<<

To pick up where I left off...Day 6...Sudbury to Ottawa.

We were again exhausted when we arrived in Sudbury, but decided to go down to the hotel restaurant for a meal. We were enjoying ourselves until halfway through my meal I discovered that the center of my chicken was not cooked. Yuck. But on the brightside...I had only eaten around the edges and luckily did not get sick. Thanks to Trent we didn’t have to pay for my food and we got 2 pieces of chocolate cake for free : )

We didn’t see much in Sudbury as it was raining heavily...(no picture with the giant nickel...). So, we took our time (as usual!) the next morning thinking that Ottawa was 2 hours from Sudbury....turns out it is closer to 5 hours! 

As soon as we arrived we went to East Side Marios to meet some great friends who I hadn’t seen since visiting Ottawa in Grade 11! Meagan and Ryan were waiting for us at the restaurant and it was so awesome to see them again! This was the first time they met Trent (well actually that is not true because the guys realized they played hockey together when they were younger), and I got to meet Ryan’s beautiful fiance for the first time, as well as Meagan’s gorgeous little girl, Lucy who is close to 2 years old. Lucy is seriously adorable. A very independent little girl who knows how to order her own meal and loves to laugh just like her Mommy! One thing I remember most about Meagan when we were in school together, was how she always had the ability to make me laugh...and how her laugh is contagious! Time with her is always happy and throughout the evening we had many great laughs! It was so awesome to catch up with them and I hope we can do it again soon! 

When we left there, we went on to spend the night at my cousin Christine’s place. What a great evening. Christine is a beautifully happy, vibrant and hospitable person. She welcomed us into her home and took us out to see the town! 

I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit with friends and relatives during this trip and to get to introduce them to Trent. Some friends you can go years and years without seeing, but when life gives you the opportunity to meet again, things are just the same as if no time had ever past. That is a testiment to true friendship in my mind. It’s a rare and wonderful thing and I am blessed to have so many wonderful relatives and friends in my life..near and far, old and new. I love them all. My wish for all you reading this blog is for the same kind of wonderful family and friends in your lives.

Day 7...Ottawa to Montreal

The next day we spent a few hours in Ottawa before leaving for Montreal. It was fantastic. Such a beautiful, beautiful city. The weather was also hot and sunny. It felt much more like summer then anywhere else we have been so far. We welcomed the hot and humid Ontario air!

Christine suggested some great spots for us to try...I guess good taste runs in the family ; ) hehe. 

Trent was eager to visit the Parliament building. So we did!

I love, love, love walking around and soaking up all there is to see in a city. The tall buildings, cafes, restaurants and stores...all like little treasures waiting to be discovered. This part of the trip has been sort of dreamlike for me. I visited Ottawa in Grade 11 and spent a summer in Montreal when I was in University. So much of what we visited these last few days brought back memories for me...both cities were my first taste of “city life” and they represent for me that sense of wonderment and excitment in discovering  something that is wonderfully new, as well as the nostalgic foggy feeling of great memories and friends along the way. I love life!

We walked along the Rideau Canal in search of beavertails (...yum, but no luck). Beautiful, beautiful place. I don’t usually walk or ride a bike to very many places, but for some reason, I feel like if I lived in Ottawa I would walk or bike as often as possible just to take advantage of the canal. It’s THAT nice.

It didn’t take long to get to Montreal...only about 2 hours with traffic. I gotta say, I don’t know very many people...if any...who would venture downtown Montreal while pulling a trailer behind their vehicle. But, Trent did it...and...he succeeded! 

Our hotel was in the best location ever. We were in the heart of downtown Montreal...minutes from the Old Port, St. Catherine Street, etc. Perfect. 

As I said in the last blog post, the first night we ate out in the Old Port. For those of you wondering about the cloaked figure...it was not Trent with his hood ever his head...haha. An old lady came in on the patio to get out of the rain and I think the thunder and lightening really scared her. She was crying to herself the whole time she stood there. 

Day 8...Montreal was so great that we decided to spend another night! 

We went out in search of breakfast but instead we decided to go to Les 3 Brasseurs for framm...deliciously thin pizza. So good. We sat...and talked...and ate...and drank coffee. So nice. For a moment or too I started to feel a little guilty about staying longer in Montreal. I (we) are so used to having to do something or be somewhere. Then I thought, this might be the only time in our lives where we have a bracket of time with no real commitments, obligations or to do lists. Lesson learned.

Trent using a map...it had to be documented!

We strolled through the cobblestone streets and climbed the steps to the Basilica de Nortre Dame. What a magnificant church. We happened to be able to listen to part of the guided tour.

Shopping on St. Catherine is a must when you are in Montreal and I’ll tell ya...I enjoyed this aspect of the trip immensely.  Although we did encountered many friendly staff in stores, I, for some reason just can’t help but think that nobody in Montreal likes me! Have you been there and felt like this too? Smiles are not given easily I find and some folks have an air about them that they would rather be doing anything else but serving you...

Then again, it could just be me! : )

I must admit that while at the Eatons Center I couldn’t figure out how to get out of one of the change rooms. It felt like Alice in Wonderland. The door was big and blue with one giant doorknob in the middle of the door. It wasn’t until I was in, and ready to come out that I realized I didn’t know how to open the door. First I panicked a little, but quickly realized I could crawl under the tiny opening at the bottom if I absolutely had to...as embarrassing as it would be. I decided instead to try to ask the person next to me...well, either she didn’t want to help the quiet voice coming from the next change room, or she didn’t hear me. Either way, it was a failed attempt. Just when I thought my only choice was to embarrass myself by crawling hands and knees head first under the door, I stopped trying to turn the door knob and just pulled as hard as I could. It opened and I was saved from a most humiliating moment in Montreal!

"The Door"

We had another supper out in Old Montreal. There was a man playing some tunes in the middle of Jacques Cartier. We enjoyed our meal but didn’t want to go back to the hotel, so we went to a different restaurant for dessert! There is just something about Montreal that makes eating dessert at 11pm at night a completely acceptable thing to do! So, last night I tried creme de brule for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised. Tasty.

So in closing, Montreal is as great as ever...there is nothing I would change about this part of the trip, well...except maybe the hornets!

Au revoir Montreal...Till next time...

Today is Day 10 and we just entered New Brunswick! It has been rainy and foggy most of the day, and we have spent the majority of the day in the truck making up for lost time. After two great days in Ottawa and Montreal, it has been hard getting back into the routine of driving for several hours...but, that being said...we are almost to Halifax and getting closer to home.

xo

Janine and Trent