This morning we left at 9.30am for our explorations of the city. Straight to our usual metro station, Place Victoria, and then off to Laurier Station to explore Mile End, the Jewish precinct.
We walked through the Mile End medical strip first, examining the building styles all the way along. We proceeded up to the correct crossing, by a lovely park in front of a grand Jewish hospital with an astonishing frontage, but then we took a wrong turn through a design precinct and walked for several large blocks before realising we were too far down. So, eventually we turned and took a residential back street for some variation of sight-seeing and back-tracked all the way back up, and then went sideways and up further, and further. We became quite lost and walked and walked, but saw lots of fascinating residential areas in the process. Eventually we asked two local women for directions, and they sent us another three long blocks North, where we finally found Rue Fairmont and then Rue Viator, which were the two streets we were seeking in the first place.
Just when we were all about to collapse, we spotted one of the two famed bagel stores, we'd been seeking. To our considerable disappointment we found there was nowhere to sit. It was simply a bagel bakery, albeit a seriously old-fashioned one where they hand-roll every single bagel. Along the right side there was a row of fridges stocking cool drinks, phillie cheese, salmon and various condiments to accompany your take-away bagels. We bought seven bagels: three sesame and three raisin and cinnamon and one poppyseed, in a big bag for 5$ or so, then went straight to the uber-hipster coffee bar Myriade on the corner. Here we were lucky to be bale to grab some window stools. L & J drank their hot chocolates and I had a small, strong sort of latte, called something I have never ever heard of, as this is a premium hipster barrista hang-out, inside a men's clothing store. Funny that we chanced upon it completely by accident.
We watched dozens and dozens of Hassidic men and boys passing by on their way to the Synagogue, wearing massive furry ring hats. Many were wearing plastic rain caps over their furry head dress, to protect them. It was quite as sight to see. It appeared to me that they may have been Russian Orthodox, but I really have no idea, except to say I do not recall seeing such extravagant dressers in Israel, or anywhere else, ever.
Replenished, we then elected to head back down along Rue Jeanne-Manse all the way to the beginning of Parc Le Mont Royal. This was gold for us, as it seemed to be the residential heartland of all the orthodox Jewish families, so it was very novel for an agnostic Australian family like us. We then stopped at an exquisite Jewish patisserie called Gascogne, and bought two lush eclairs to take away, in a perfect white box.
Approaching Mount Royal Park, past Park Jean Mance, we hiked part of the way up the hill to one of the walking trails and enjoyed walking through the city's lungs. Beautiful trees up there. Thinking we'd come back after lunch, we took Deluth back over to Boulevard Saint Laurent in search of Shwartz' Deli. We queued for about half an hour, then went in to enjoy the most OTT masses of smoked meat on (and bulging out of) a rye sandwich each, and shared a plate of fries, coleslaw and two large dill pickles, with dark cherry cola. It was absolutely delicious, and much lighter (in terms of both the pastrami and the rye) than what we experienced at Katz Deli on the Lower East Side in NYC, seven years ago. It was also a much smaller, more intimate and friendlier place, and the waiter and other patrons were all lots of fun.
We were intending to go back to the Parc to get a view over the city, but J was inexplicably cold, so we identified a super cool pre-loved clothing store, and spent some time in there trying things on. J bought the best denim jacket with woollen lining for 25$ - a great find.
When we came out of there we realised that we were in the middle of the Portugese cultural festival that stretched for many blocks down the Boulevard, all the way to the city. We therefore decided we didn't need to go climbing hilltops, as our bodies were aching enough as it was. So, we walked all the way back to Saint Laurent Metro, enjoying the sights along the way, and especially all the cute doggies out with their owners. Then we got the subway home.
When we came up to Earth level at our station there were even more gorgeous, tanned, scantily clad people running around than there were yesterday. Muscular guys are running about topless, wearing just shorts and runners, and taut women just wear skimpy sport tanks and it's 14 degrees celcius. We guess they're just making the most of their Summer-time, regardless of the temperature! So anyway, that was a six hour excursion all up, and utterly exhausting physically. A great day out!
Showing posts with label Montreal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montreal. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 June 2016
Saturday, 11 June 2016
Out and about around Montreal
Two solid days worth of sightseeing has passed since I last wrote, so we've covered a bit of ground.
We bought a three day public transport pass yesterday morning, as we're going a little further afield on these last three full days here, and its great value at 18$ each for as much travel as you want on the subway or the bus. Both mornings we've enjoyed coming and going from our local Metro, Square Victoria. We live (!) in a very civilised (without being snobby) part of town, and have a gorgeous opera singer who busks in the long tunnel that stretches from our glass entry box on one side of Square Victoria to the actual subway on the other side of the park. Setting off at 9ish yesterday, we were moving completely against the throng of Montreallers coming to work in Vieux-Montreal, so we formed a single line against the wall on the far right of the tunnel, and watched the rows of faces, six or seven across, flowing past us. It was powerful visually, and the human barrage went on for rather a while.
We eventually came up for air at 'Peel' Station, but the wind on the street was chilly, so we decided to walk underground to where we needed to go, through the labyrinth shopping malls. In so doing we discovered what I'd suspected, which is that retail shops and many food outlets in Montreal do not open for trade until 10am. We spent a few hours exploring the beautiful Musee des Beaux Arts on Rue Sherbrooke. I got in gratis as a journalist, so look forward to writing an article on the place. This is a very opulent part of the city, and we greatly enjoyed the gallery. After we'd viewed as much art as our brains could process, we walked back toward the main part of the city, and checked out McGill University. It's a lovely campus.
We were out and about for six hours, as we find that's a sufficient amount of time. We rose terribly early yesterday. From 4am Laurie and I were both reluctantly awake, unable to get back to sleep, so we got up, researched things and pottered about. It is disorientating, but given we actually managed seven consecutive hours of sleep last night and awoke at the eminently more acceptable time of 6.45am, I think we're on the way towards normality again now.
Last night, we had the extraordinary treat of seeing Cirque du Soleil's latest show 'Luzia' in Le Grand Chapiteau down on the wharf in front of Place Jacques Cartier. It was so special to see them perform in their home city, with their home crowd. It was all in French, but that didn't detract too much from our understanding. It's the fourth show of theirs we've seen, and J's second. While we did enjoy it, it was not the best one, in our opinion. The second act was much stronger than the first though, and I cam out buzzing, despite my hub's lacklustre response. For our twelve year old, however, it was fantastic. We strolled home along the waterfront where all the heritage buildings were lit up various colours. It was a memorable experience, despite how weary we were.
This morning we set off at 9.30am and took the subway straight up to Little Italy to see Jean-Talon Market. This is an earthy, multicultural, working class neighbourhood which comes up on Google as District de Saint-Edouard. The row terraces are distinctive due to their excess of external staircases, mostly in metal, and the iron work on their balconies is relatively ornate. Must be awfully icy and slippery most of the year. The whole area has heaps of character and our daughter, in particular, really liked it.
The Jean-Talon Markets are very close to the station - Just follow the flurry of people. As soon as we got there we saw the most alluring oyster bar, where you can buy one oyster at a time, of your choice, a la carte, to have natural or with the addition of red or green tabasco sauce, or herb or garlic oil. We had one each to start with, and then tore ourselves away, mainly because I felt like it was an odd thing to have at 10am. But they were so delicious, like silk that melted in our mouths. We loved them so much that we came back not just once, but twice. They were pure and clean, which may have something to do with the water, given the North Pole is not that far away... Seriously sublime.
We bought a three day public transport pass yesterday morning, as we're going a little further afield on these last three full days here, and its great value at 18$ each for as much travel as you want on the subway or the bus. Both mornings we've enjoyed coming and going from our local Metro, Square Victoria. We live (!) in a very civilised (without being snobby) part of town, and have a gorgeous opera singer who busks in the long tunnel that stretches from our glass entry box on one side of Square Victoria to the actual subway on the other side of the park. Setting off at 9ish yesterday, we were moving completely against the throng of Montreallers coming to work in Vieux-Montreal, so we formed a single line against the wall on the far right of the tunnel, and watched the rows of faces, six or seven across, flowing past us. It was powerful visually, and the human barrage went on for rather a while.
We eventually came up for air at 'Peel' Station, but the wind on the street was chilly, so we decided to walk underground to where we needed to go, through the labyrinth shopping malls. In so doing we discovered what I'd suspected, which is that retail shops and many food outlets in Montreal do not open for trade until 10am. We spent a few hours exploring the beautiful Musee des Beaux Arts on Rue Sherbrooke. I got in gratis as a journalist, so look forward to writing an article on the place. This is a very opulent part of the city, and we greatly enjoyed the gallery. After we'd viewed as much art as our brains could process, we walked back toward the main part of the city, and checked out McGill University. It's a lovely campus.
We were out and about for six hours, as we find that's a sufficient amount of time. We rose terribly early yesterday. From 4am Laurie and I were both reluctantly awake, unable to get back to sleep, so we got up, researched things and pottered about. It is disorientating, but given we actually managed seven consecutive hours of sleep last night and awoke at the eminently more acceptable time of 6.45am, I think we're on the way towards normality again now.
Last night, we had the extraordinary treat of seeing Cirque du Soleil's latest show 'Luzia' in Le Grand Chapiteau down on the wharf in front of Place Jacques Cartier. It was so special to see them perform in their home city, with their home crowd. It was all in French, but that didn't detract too much from our understanding. It's the fourth show of theirs we've seen, and J's second. While we did enjoy it, it was not the best one, in our opinion. The second act was much stronger than the first though, and I cam out buzzing, despite my hub's lacklustre response. For our twelve year old, however, it was fantastic. We strolled home along the waterfront where all the heritage buildings were lit up various colours. It was a memorable experience, despite how weary we were.
The Jean-Talon Markets are very close to the station - Just follow the flurry of people. As soon as we got there we saw the most alluring oyster bar, where you can buy one oyster at a time, of your choice, a la carte, to have natural or with the addition of red or green tabasco sauce, or herb or garlic oil. We had one each to start with, and then tore ourselves away, mainly because I felt like it was an odd thing to have at 10am. But they were so delicious, like silk that melted in our mouths. We loved them so much that we came back not just once, but twice. They were pure and clean, which may have something to do with the water, given the North Pole is not that far away... Seriously sublime.
This is a great market. We had a lovely time, admiring all the meat outlets and chacuteries, tasting the samples of raspberries, mangoes, pink grapefruit, orange, plums, cherries, pineapple, good cheeses, tomatoes, both red and yellow; the most delicious we've ever tasted, and even crunchy baby radishes. The fresh flower and herb market is equivalent in size to the food section, so it's a lovely combination. If we lived here, we would go at least fortnightly. We all left on an oyster high, delighted by what we'd tasted.
Back on the subway, we decided to head straight off to explore Le Village, a part of Montreal that stretches between three Metro stations: from Berri-Uquam to Papineau, with Beaudry in the middle. This is the heart of the Gay and LBTIAQ community and the entire eight blocks along Rue St Catherine are decorated with pink borbels hanging across the street. There's eateries all the way along, with dining pergolas spilling onto the street, so it seems mostly traffic free. Some of the pergolas are decorated with flowers or pink paint. Our daughter wanted to know the significance of all the flags, so we explained them to her, in brief.
We stopped at one of the diners, run by some girls, for a late lunch of clam chowder and poutine (a Quebec favourite, involving crispy fried potato chips with a gravy and slightly gooey lumps of cheese). We quite liked both dishes, as something different to our norm. After that, we stopped in at SAQ, the main liquor chain here, and chose a bottle of Pinot Noir from all the unfamiliar brands. Having purchased various delicious items from the market, we thought a nice red was in order for this evening.
We then briefly considered going to the Musee d'Art Contemporaire, but thought it too hard. We went all the way there yesterday, and did more than a 360 of the whole outside but could not see anything remotely resembling an entrance. We did find the staff entrance, but the signage shooed us away. I Googled it last night, and found that it has been hemmed in by the Grand Prix shenanigans that are going on all over this city. If it was a stand-out gallery we would have made the extra effort to go back this second time, but all the reviews I've read have it as lower end of average, so... we walked back to the Metro through a public herb garden, run by the local community. It was lovely to see planter boxes of basel everywhere, and pallets used creatively as seating and everything under the sun.
We came home, wrote, read, grazed on market fare, and went up on our rooftop for a glass of vino rouge before bed. Even though it's only 9ish, it feels like 2am to us. So much walking, so little sleep and so many new considerations have made us weary. All wonderful though! We're thrilled we've managed to visit this lovely city, at long last. It's a great privilege.
Back on the subway, we decided to head straight off to explore Le Village, a part of Montreal that stretches between three Metro stations: from Berri-Uquam to Papineau, with Beaudry in the middle. This is the heart of the Gay and LBTIAQ community and the entire eight blocks along Rue St Catherine are decorated with pink borbels hanging across the street. There's eateries all the way along, with dining pergolas spilling onto the street, so it seems mostly traffic free. Some of the pergolas are decorated with flowers or pink paint. Our daughter wanted to know the significance of all the flags, so we explained them to her, in brief.
We stopped at one of the diners, run by some girls, for a late lunch of clam chowder and poutine (a Quebec favourite, involving crispy fried potato chips with a gravy and slightly gooey lumps of cheese). We quite liked both dishes, as something different to our norm. After that, we stopped in at SAQ, the main liquor chain here, and chose a bottle of Pinot Noir from all the unfamiliar brands. Having purchased various delicious items from the market, we thought a nice red was in order for this evening.
We then briefly considered going to the Musee d'Art Contemporaire, but thought it too hard. We went all the way there yesterday, and did more than a 360 of the whole outside but could not see anything remotely resembling an entrance. We did find the staff entrance, but the signage shooed us away. I Googled it last night, and found that it has been hemmed in by the Grand Prix shenanigans that are going on all over this city. If it was a stand-out gallery we would have made the extra effort to go back this second time, but all the reviews I've read have it as lower end of average, so... we walked back to the Metro through a public herb garden, run by the local community. It was lovely to see planter boxes of basel everywhere, and pallets used creatively as seating and everything under the sun.
We came home, wrote, read, grazed on market fare, and went up on our rooftop for a glass of vino rouge before bed. Even though it's only 9ish, it feels like 2am to us. So much walking, so little sleep and so many new considerations have made us weary. All wonderful though! We're thrilled we've managed to visit this lovely city, at long last. It's a great privilege.
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
On Sugar, Sounds, Shopping and Walking...
This morning I was wide awake at 7am, following just 7 hours sleep.
We grabbed high quality, take-away coffee from our corner store, and had this with a fruit, muslei and yoghurt 'parfait' for breakfast: Delicious, but like several things I've tasted here, thus far, both items suffered from a distinct lack of sugar. This tells me how sugar dependent Australians have become over time: Pas Bon. Later in the day I spent some time in the IGA Supermarche at Complexe Desjardins specifically seeking sucre, but to no avail. I did locate sucre, but only in the cooking section in large pack quantities for 6$ and upwards, which is mad. I don't want that much sucre!
I later obtained a few coffee sized sachets of raw sucre from a nearby gourmet cafe, so all is well in my world again now. So many healthy drinks are available here. For breakfast this morning I had an Aloe Vera juice, with pulp and wheatgrass. It was delicious. With lunch, our daughter had some delicious iced green tea infused with various fruits. I do want to reduce my dependence on sucre, but going cold turkey completely is not my preferred approach, especially while on holiday!
This morning the birds were tweeting melodically outside our apartment, and a man in a neighbouring apartment was singing from time to time, it seemed, though it could have been Charles Asnevour on vinyl... We have him at our place. On the topic of sound, I must mention that the floorboards in our apartment are insanely squeaky, and the whole loft slopes toward the corner where our internal front door meets the central corridor. If you pop your suitcase down unsupported it will roll away. Even the chair I sit on to type in the morning leans forward at a funny angle. The walls are paper thin on one side, as well, so now that the owners of next door are staying overnight, we hear every noise they make. Little wonder it was tuned into an Air BnB!
Anyway, as for today, we walked across town to visit the Tourist Information Centre because we needed a map and some really basic info. On the way there we happened upon the most magnificent Cathedral: Marie-Reine du Monde. It was extraordinary, and I'm glad we came across it.
We also had to obtain some necessities that I'd neglected to pack in the midst of our excitement over welcoming our house-sitters. We therefore went to a range of stores downtown (which for us is uptown) and then walked across the main shopping thoroughfare of Montreal, which is called Rue St Catherine. It was during this period that we realised how manageable Montreal is as a city. It is far less populated than it's global cache may suggest. Less than 2 million people live here, and it's just such a lovely city, sitting beneath the most beautiful green hill range, where Mount Park Royal is, and we intend to go on Friday.
We did our grocery shopping with the locals at Complexe Desjardins which was fun once we regained our mojo after the long walk. We enjoyed noting all the little, intermediate and large differences. Stocked up with enough provisions for three evening meals, plus milk and juice for breakfast, we trundled back home with our heavy bags. Thankfully that was all down hill, in a good way.
Having dropped all our stuff off back at the apartment, we then went for a gorgeous lunch of gourmet paninis at O&G a block down from our place. We enjoyed that well earned break, as we'd walked about six kms by then, which should not seem like much at all, but it felt like a lot more. We've seen two Quebec cook books we want to buy: 'Made in Quebec' and 'Montreal Cooks'. We'll have to make a decision on this matter by Saturday. They're both hard backs of course!
In the afternoon, we spent an hour at Musee Pointe-e-Calliere, the archeological birthplace of old Montreal. It was well worthwhile. I'll be writing a travel article on it, or at least incorporating it in one. Thereafter, we saw their feature exhibition on the life work and influence of Emile Hermes, and the family's love of horses. It was excellent, I thought, but by then we were very weary and about to collapse. We wound up doing so much walking today, which is great, but it took an early toll on us all, and especially our daughter who was asleep for the night by 6pm. All the better for her endurance tomorrow, I hope. We have much to see.
We grabbed high quality, take-away coffee from our corner store, and had this with a fruit, muslei and yoghurt 'parfait' for breakfast: Delicious, but like several things I've tasted here, thus far, both items suffered from a distinct lack of sugar. This tells me how sugar dependent Australians have become over time: Pas Bon. Later in the day I spent some time in the IGA Supermarche at Complexe Desjardins specifically seeking sucre, but to no avail. I did locate sucre, but only in the cooking section in large pack quantities for 6$ and upwards, which is mad. I don't want that much sucre!
I later obtained a few coffee sized sachets of raw sucre from a nearby gourmet cafe, so all is well in my world again now. So many healthy drinks are available here. For breakfast this morning I had an Aloe Vera juice, with pulp and wheatgrass. It was delicious. With lunch, our daughter had some delicious iced green tea infused with various fruits. I do want to reduce my dependence on sucre, but going cold turkey completely is not my preferred approach, especially while on holiday!
This morning the birds were tweeting melodically outside our apartment, and a man in a neighbouring apartment was singing from time to time, it seemed, though it could have been Charles Asnevour on vinyl... We have him at our place. On the topic of sound, I must mention that the floorboards in our apartment are insanely squeaky, and the whole loft slopes toward the corner where our internal front door meets the central corridor. If you pop your suitcase down unsupported it will roll away. Even the chair I sit on to type in the morning leans forward at a funny angle. The walls are paper thin on one side, as well, so now that the owners of next door are staying overnight, we hear every noise they make. Little wonder it was tuned into an Air BnB!
Anyway, as for today, we walked across town to visit the Tourist Information Centre because we needed a map and some really basic info. On the way there we happened upon the most magnificent Cathedral: Marie-Reine du Monde. It was extraordinary, and I'm glad we came across it.
We also had to obtain some necessities that I'd neglected to pack in the midst of our excitement over welcoming our house-sitters. We therefore went to a range of stores downtown (which for us is uptown) and then walked across the main shopping thoroughfare of Montreal, which is called Rue St Catherine. It was during this period that we realised how manageable Montreal is as a city. It is far less populated than it's global cache may suggest. Less than 2 million people live here, and it's just such a lovely city, sitting beneath the most beautiful green hill range, where Mount Park Royal is, and we intend to go on Friday.
We did our grocery shopping with the locals at Complexe Desjardins which was fun once we regained our mojo after the long walk. We enjoyed noting all the little, intermediate and large differences. Stocked up with enough provisions for three evening meals, plus milk and juice for breakfast, we trundled back home with our heavy bags. Thankfully that was all down hill, in a good way.
Having dropped all our stuff off back at the apartment, we then went for a gorgeous lunch of gourmet paninis at O&G a block down from our place. We enjoyed that well earned break, as we'd walked about six kms by then, which should not seem like much at all, but it felt like a lot more. We've seen two Quebec cook books we want to buy: 'Made in Quebec' and 'Montreal Cooks'. We'll have to make a decision on this matter by Saturday. They're both hard backs of course!
In the afternoon, we spent an hour at Musee Pointe-e-Calliere, the archeological birthplace of old Montreal. It was well worthwhile. I'll be writing a travel article on it, or at least incorporating it in one. Thereafter, we saw their feature exhibition on the life work and influence of Emile Hermes, and the family's love of horses. It was excellent, I thought, but by then we were very weary and about to collapse. We wound up doing so much walking today, which is great, but it took an early toll on us all, and especially our daughter who was asleep for the night by 6pm. All the better for her endurance tomorrow, I hope. We have much to see.
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
First Moments in Montreal
We've been in Montreal just over 25 hours now. We landed safely on our Air Canada flight full of stunning young Quebecois, and grabbed a cab ride into the city for 46$ (including tip) with a warm-mannered Afro-Quebecois driver. It's more multicultural here than I anticipated, which I like, a lot. Overwhelmingly it is French, in so many ways.
What struck me from the moment we approached our departure lounge at LAX is how distinctive the Quebecois are in appearance. There are a range of different genetic possibilities in the mix, and it was fascinating to appraise them all before and after boarding the plane. I always think that's a good reason to fly in with the host carrier of the country you're about to visit: It gives you a 'heads-up' on what's to come, and some time to acclimatise your mind to the idea of it all.
We were horrendously jet-lagged following our 30 hour door-to-door experience, but once we'd done a general reconnoitre of our nook for the week, we managed to slip out to our corner store to purchase some vino rouge and breakfast burritos (always planning ahead!) This proved to be an opportunity to try out some of our Canadian notes. Foreign money seems like candy, so one feels a bit nervous pulling it out and handing it over.
Our place of abode is perfectly placed in the heart of Vieux du Port Montreal and the old Port's architecture all around is just sublime. Following 8 hours sleep (and just 6 hours for my hub) I awoke to find that he had already achieved a day time's worth of activities in under two hours (this is not unusual). We had a perculated coffee to start with, as this seems to be a thing in Montreal - Their equivalent of instant maybe.
We ventured out to have a peek at our immediate surrounds, mostly involving industrial old Griffintown, for under two hours, in our jet-lagged state, saw many interesting sights and took sixty or more snaps. After a few hours we retreated to our two level loft, ate lunch with the big windows open o er the cobblestone alley, researched stuff, then had a heavy nap. Woke up with eyeballs feeling like they'd been scraped by razorblades. Went out again this evening to appreciate the local architecture, albeit through sore and squinty eyes, and also to see projected history on big canvas brick walls, thanks to Cite Memoir.
And that does it for us. Far too tired to type anything more, even though, and partially because we've seen so much already. It's just magic and we love it. Looking forward to a fresher approach tomorrow, and a mammoth amount of walking and exploring. Nearly Midnight now, so to bed we must go. Too tired to post pics - Maybe next time...
What struck me from the moment we approached our departure lounge at LAX is how distinctive the Quebecois are in appearance. There are a range of different genetic possibilities in the mix, and it was fascinating to appraise them all before and after boarding the plane. I always think that's a good reason to fly in with the host carrier of the country you're about to visit: It gives you a 'heads-up' on what's to come, and some time to acclimatise your mind to the idea of it all.
We were horrendously jet-lagged following our 30 hour door-to-door experience, but once we'd done a general reconnoitre of our nook for the week, we managed to slip out to our corner store to purchase some vino rouge and breakfast burritos (always planning ahead!) This proved to be an opportunity to try out some of our Canadian notes. Foreign money seems like candy, so one feels a bit nervous pulling it out and handing it over.
Our place of abode is perfectly placed in the heart of Vieux du Port Montreal and the old Port's architecture all around is just sublime. Following 8 hours sleep (and just 6 hours for my hub) I awoke to find that he had already achieved a day time's worth of activities in under two hours (this is not unusual). We had a perculated coffee to start with, as this seems to be a thing in Montreal - Their equivalent of instant maybe.
We ventured out to have a peek at our immediate surrounds, mostly involving industrial old Griffintown, for under two hours, in our jet-lagged state, saw many interesting sights and took sixty or more snaps. After a few hours we retreated to our two level loft, ate lunch with the big windows open o er the cobblestone alley, researched stuff, then had a heavy nap. Woke up with eyeballs feeling like they'd been scraped by razorblades. Went out again this evening to appreciate the local architecture, albeit through sore and squinty eyes, and also to see projected history on big canvas brick walls, thanks to Cite Memoir.
And that does it for us. Far too tired to type anything more, even though, and partially because we've seen so much already. It's just magic and we love it. Looking forward to a fresher approach tomorrow, and a mammoth amount of walking and exploring. Nearly Midnight now, so to bed we must go. Too tired to post pics - Maybe next time...
Saturday, 21 May 2016
Travel time and planning our days...
In just two weeks, we fly.
When friends ask us how long that journey will be, I've not been sure exactly, coz I really don't think numerically, or in terms of quantifiable units. Since getting home, however, I've pulled out the paperwork and worked it all out:
We leave home at 5.30am Sunday morning and arrive at our two story Montreal place, with spiral staircase and rooftop terrace, at about 9.30pm on Sunday night Montreal time. Montreal is 14 hours behind where we are in the world. It is lucky our friends asked us this question, about timing, as listing it all like this prompted me to realise that I'd best book the long-term parking now, and save $97 by doing so in advance. More spending... And we haven't even left yet!
Our house-sitters arrive the day before we depart, so we'll just have time to explain how to use the oven, griller, dishwasher etcetera, and then we'll be off!
Our friends also asked us about wine and what Quebec peeps drink... We have no idea. I guess we'll find ourselves a local wine-store once we're there, and work it out. That's just part of the fun. I have read that we need to go to something called a SAQ store. Apparently that's the answer. I have to say I would be terribly worried about money if we weren't staying in self-contained apartments throughout. I've pre-paid absolutely everything I can think of, so I'm hoping we'll be OK... Fingers crossed...
With 22 nights on the ground, you can't underestimate the savings involved in buying provisions from the local store, and prepping your own morning coffee, breakfasts and dinners each day. We will grab lunches out, and often that's the real heart of local food culture, I feel. We'll be out and about each day, from 10 til 5 walking like crazy. That's just what we'll do. And shopping locally will be really interesting, because it's always novel to check out what's on offer in foreign minimarts, especially where English is not the main language! We're independent travellers. Always have been.
There's free wifi in our Quebec apartments as well, so we should be fine for blogging and researching stuff in the evenings. Our QC host Frederick just confirmed this and said "Pretty much all cafes, bars, restaurants and stores have free wifi as well" - Happy news for Australians! We are so backward in these sort of areas...
Right now, there's a doco on local tellie on New Orleans. I feel a teeny bit mean that we're not going there (coz my hub would dearly love to go), but I've been already, pre-Katrina, and while I absolutely adored it, I feel like its all so vivid in my mind still that I just don't need to go back right now.
We all really dig the idea that absolutely everywhere we are going will be new to all three of us, and that's special. And especially so for our daughter. At age twelve, this trip will be something majorly influential for her, at a pivotal age. And I'm pleased that none of it is remotely mainstream. Given the opportunity, most Australian families take their kids to London or Los Angeles, but not us. We're going to five major heritage cities, up and down the U.S. East Coast, with masses of cultural cache, and whatever she learns in the process, under our guidance, it can only be positive. We're pretty pleased about this, and also an itsy bit proud. It's an amazing gift to give her.
When friends ask us how long that journey will be, I've not been sure exactly, coz I really don't think numerically, or in terms of quantifiable units. Since getting home, however, I've pulled out the paperwork and worked it all out:
- Drive from home to the airport 1.5 hrs
- Long term car parking 0.5 hr
- Checking in 2 hours prior 2.0 hrs
- Fly Melb to LA 14.5 hrs
- In Transit 5.0 hrs
- Fly LA to Montreal 5.25 hrs
- Immigration & luggage collection 0.5 hr
- Taxi to the Old Port 0.75 hrs
We leave home at 5.30am Sunday morning and arrive at our two story Montreal place, with spiral staircase and rooftop terrace, at about 9.30pm on Sunday night Montreal time. Montreal is 14 hours behind where we are in the world. It is lucky our friends asked us this question, about timing, as listing it all like this prompted me to realise that I'd best book the long-term parking now, and save $97 by doing so in advance. More spending... And we haven't even left yet!
Our house-sitters arrive the day before we depart, so we'll just have time to explain how to use the oven, griller, dishwasher etcetera, and then we'll be off!
Our friends also asked us about wine and what Quebec peeps drink... We have no idea. I guess we'll find ourselves a local wine-store once we're there, and work it out. That's just part of the fun. I have read that we need to go to something called a SAQ store. Apparently that's the answer. I have to say I would be terribly worried about money if we weren't staying in self-contained apartments throughout. I've pre-paid absolutely everything I can think of, so I'm hoping we'll be OK... Fingers crossed...
With 22 nights on the ground, you can't underestimate the savings involved in buying provisions from the local store, and prepping your own morning coffee, breakfasts and dinners each day. We will grab lunches out, and often that's the real heart of local food culture, I feel. We'll be out and about each day, from 10 til 5 walking like crazy. That's just what we'll do. And shopping locally will be really interesting, because it's always novel to check out what's on offer in foreign minimarts, especially where English is not the main language! We're independent travellers. Always have been.
There's free wifi in our Quebec apartments as well, so we should be fine for blogging and researching stuff in the evenings. Our QC host Frederick just confirmed this and said "Pretty much all cafes, bars, restaurants and stores have free wifi as well" - Happy news for Australians! We are so backward in these sort of areas...
Right now, there's a doco on local tellie on New Orleans. I feel a teeny bit mean that we're not going there (coz my hub would dearly love to go), but I've been already, pre-Katrina, and while I absolutely adored it, I feel like its all so vivid in my mind still that I just don't need to go back right now.
We all really dig the idea that absolutely everywhere we are going will be new to all three of us, and that's special. And especially so for our daughter. At age twelve, this trip will be something majorly influential for her, at a pivotal age. And I'm pleased that none of it is remotely mainstream. Given the opportunity, most Australian families take their kids to London or Los Angeles, but not us. We're going to five major heritage cities, up and down the U.S. East Coast, with masses of cultural cache, and whatever she learns in the process, under our guidance, it can only be positive. We're pretty pleased about this, and also an itsy bit proud. It's an amazing gift to give her.
Friday, 13 May 2016
Snail mail, books and foodie tours
I am feeling most relieved to have the door key to our Boston residence for 5 nights.
I remain highly suspicious of the likelihood of us successfully making the 40 minute transition between our two supposedly connecting flights in Washington's notoriously congested Dulles International Airport. If we get bumped there's only one later flight which will get us into Boston, and that will be well after Midnight.
For this reason, our AirB'n'B host has kindly sent us the door key to our grand 1890s building, just in case. I've seen historic photos of the (former hotel) foyer, and I can not wait to tip-toe through there, on the way to our 'condo', after our double flight journey. The word 'condo' sits uneasily with my Australian sensibility, but I admit I am curious to assess for my self what this translate as, in real terms.
Clearly snail mail is still perfectly functional for such purposes (those which it was intended for, such as transporting small and light materials across the globe). Still, it seems wonderful to me that one little envelope with an unidentified key in it can make its way safely from the North East Coast of the U.S. to country Victoria in Australia.
Which reminds me, I'm anticipating that we may need to send a box of goodies home at some stage. We sent a box home from Manhattan seven years ago, and it was here before we were, which was a nice thing to come home to. Not that we intend to buy much at all, but you just ever know.
Being, as I am, the Artistic Director of a major book festival, I have found myself researching the best pre-loved, English language book stores in Montreal, which is probably a dangerous move. Montreal is renowned as a city of book lovers and literary events, so I can't help but feel I need to check some of them out, at least in a window shopping sort of way... I often find myself drawn to architectural coffee-table books or cook-books when abroad. This is craziness as they're generally hard back and always heavy, but oh, so tempting. I'll have to exercise some considerable self-control.
We are doing a three hour foodie tour in Charleston, South Carolina with a company called 'Chow Down'. It should be lots of fun. We did one, as a family, on Hong Kong Island three years ago, and that was just brilliant. Not only were the food offerings supreme quality, we learned a whole lot about the political economy of urban change in Hong Kong and it's civic history. We walked and walked and it was an architectural and visual feast, as well as a greatly educational experience.
I was fortunate enough to do a cooking session in the French Quarter of New Orleans back in late 2002, and although that was entertaining, and the host was a charm (a true Southern Belle, in fact), it was not my thing exactly. I much prefer walking tours that mix in opportunities for different types of tastes and support a range of diverse small traders. If there's some consideration of architectural, local community and political history thrown into the tour, even better. That's just me. To each their own.
I remain highly suspicious of the likelihood of us successfully making the 40 minute transition between our two supposedly connecting flights in Washington's notoriously congested Dulles International Airport. If we get bumped there's only one later flight which will get us into Boston, and that will be well after Midnight.
For this reason, our AirB'n'B host has kindly sent us the door key to our grand 1890s building, just in case. I've seen historic photos of the (former hotel) foyer, and I can not wait to tip-toe through there, on the way to our 'condo', after our double flight journey. The word 'condo' sits uneasily with my Australian sensibility, but I admit I am curious to assess for my self what this translate as, in real terms.
Clearly snail mail is still perfectly functional for such purposes (those which it was intended for, such as transporting small and light materials across the globe). Still, it seems wonderful to me that one little envelope with an unidentified key in it can make its way safely from the North East Coast of the U.S. to country Victoria in Australia.
Which reminds me, I'm anticipating that we may need to send a box of goodies home at some stage. We sent a box home from Manhattan seven years ago, and it was here before we were, which was a nice thing to come home to. Not that we intend to buy much at all, but you just ever know.
Being, as I am, the Artistic Director of a major book festival, I have found myself researching the best pre-loved, English language book stores in Montreal, which is probably a dangerous move. Montreal is renowned as a city of book lovers and literary events, so I can't help but feel I need to check some of them out, at least in a window shopping sort of way... I often find myself drawn to architectural coffee-table books or cook-books when abroad. This is craziness as they're generally hard back and always heavy, but oh, so tempting. I'll have to exercise some considerable self-control.
We are doing a three hour foodie tour in Charleston, South Carolina with a company called 'Chow Down'. It should be lots of fun. We did one, as a family, on Hong Kong Island three years ago, and that was just brilliant. Not only were the food offerings supreme quality, we learned a whole lot about the political economy of urban change in Hong Kong and it's civic history. We walked and walked and it was an architectural and visual feast, as well as a greatly educational experience.
I was fortunate enough to do a cooking session in the French Quarter of New Orleans back in late 2002, and although that was entertaining, and the host was a charm (a true Southern Belle, in fact), it was not my thing exactly. I much prefer walking tours that mix in opportunities for different types of tastes and support a range of diverse small traders. If there's some consideration of architectural, local community and political history thrown into the tour, even better. That's just me. To each their own.
Sunday, 8 May 2016
Going Places...
As I mentioned in my last (and first) post, my little family and I are off to Montreal, thanks to a strange but super twist of fate. We're greatly looking forward to it. We'll enjoy seven nights there, primarily because it was cheaper that way... I got a special deal on Air B'n'B for booking our intended apartment in the Old Port district for a whole week rather than just the five nights I initially had in mind.
Travelling all the way from Australia, I know (from experience) that we'll be completely blitzed for the first three days anyway, so will need that recovery time in a stable place, while we find our land-legs (and relocate our brains).
After a week there, we're catching the train for a couple of hours across to old Quebec City. We're staying inside the walled fortress for three nights. For me personally, Quebec City is the big drawcard, so as we're going to Montreal, in the first place, it makes sense to spend some time checking out QC. By all accounts, it's a compact kind of place, so we only need the two full days there. Again, we're utilising Air B'n'B, so just as with our time in Montreal, we'll have a self-contained apartment, in which we can economise by having breakfast and dinner in, on our own terms.
Were it not for Air B'n'B we'd not be doing this trip at all. The total cost for self-contained accommodation throughout our trip is one third of what we paid seven years ago using good standard hotels, and that was just for two people. Throughout this trip we're accommodating three of us! And in most instances our daughter gets her own room.
As it's Air B'n'B, we won't have to tip anyone or worry about the intrusion of room service staff. I am aware that Air B'n'B may well be endemic to a particular period of contemporary history. Come what may in the future, I just think that it's brilliant that it exists at present, for what it is now.
In the beginning we thought we'd just spend ten nights total in French Canada, then fly home, based around what we thought the purpose of the trip was - an academic conference on critical heritage. But it's so damned hard for Australians to break away from normality and travel across the skies, and it costs an awful lot of money for international flights, whichever way you look at it. I felt it important that we fulfill some of our adjacent dreams while over there. With that in mind, I knew exactly what else I'd like to see while on the U.S. East Coast...
Sixteen years ago, when planning our wedding, we had considered spending a big part of our honeymoon in Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. For whatever reasons, we did not do that, and did something else instead. But I've held the thought of it close to my heart ever since. And so... When we've finished with Quebec City we're boarding an Air Canada flight to Newark, NY, and changing over to a flight that will take us down to the Deep South.
We'll have three nights in Charleston. I've booked an SUV (same model and type as my own car, coz I figure that's safest when in a strange land...) to collect from the Airport, so we can move about the place. Again, it seemed cheaper that way than fussing with taxis and the like. My hub has bravely volunteered to drive on the wrong side of the road for our entire time down there. He's organised his 'international license' so we're ready, or as ready as we can be. Again, we're staying Air B'n'B, in a gorgeous heritage cottage, and after three nights there, we're heading further South.
I think I'll leave this post now, and make a late dinner. Must prepare myself to lecture tomorrow. Further elaboration of our plans to be continued in a couple of days...
Travelling all the way from Australia, I know (from experience) that we'll be completely blitzed for the first three days anyway, so will need that recovery time in a stable place, while we find our land-legs (and relocate our brains).
After a week there, we're catching the train for a couple of hours across to old Quebec City. We're staying inside the walled fortress for three nights. For me personally, Quebec City is the big drawcard, so as we're going to Montreal, in the first place, it makes sense to spend some time checking out QC. By all accounts, it's a compact kind of place, so we only need the two full days there. Again, we're utilising Air B'n'B, so just as with our time in Montreal, we'll have a self-contained apartment, in which we can economise by having breakfast and dinner in, on our own terms.
Were it not for Air B'n'B we'd not be doing this trip at all. The total cost for self-contained accommodation throughout our trip is one third of what we paid seven years ago using good standard hotels, and that was just for two people. Throughout this trip we're accommodating three of us! And in most instances our daughter gets her own room.
As it's Air B'n'B, we won't have to tip anyone or worry about the intrusion of room service staff. I am aware that Air B'n'B may well be endemic to a particular period of contemporary history. Come what may in the future, I just think that it's brilliant that it exists at present, for what it is now.
In the beginning we thought we'd just spend ten nights total in French Canada, then fly home, based around what we thought the purpose of the trip was - an academic conference on critical heritage. But it's so damned hard for Australians to break away from normality and travel across the skies, and it costs an awful lot of money for international flights, whichever way you look at it. I felt it important that we fulfill some of our adjacent dreams while over there. With that in mind, I knew exactly what else I'd like to see while on the U.S. East Coast...
Sixteen years ago, when planning our wedding, we had considered spending a big part of our honeymoon in Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. For whatever reasons, we did not do that, and did something else instead. But I've held the thought of it close to my heart ever since. And so... When we've finished with Quebec City we're boarding an Air Canada flight to Newark, NY, and changing over to a flight that will take us down to the Deep South.
We'll have three nights in Charleston. I've booked an SUV (same model and type as my own car, coz I figure that's safest when in a strange land...) to collect from the Airport, so we can move about the place. Again, it seemed cheaper that way than fussing with taxis and the like. My hub has bravely volunteered to drive on the wrong side of the road for our entire time down there. He's organised his 'international license' so we're ready, or as ready as we can be. Again, we're staying Air B'n'B, in a gorgeous heritage cottage, and after three nights there, we're heading further South.
I think I'll leave this post now, and make a late dinner. Must prepare myself to lecture tomorrow. Further elaboration of our plans to be continued in a couple of days...
Typing, in advance of a big trip...
I'm Australian, and back in May 2009, I had a very neat travel blog set up on Wordpress for my long awaited 'ten year long service leave' trip around the world. I took this journey with my hub about eighteen months after my ten years with the company had past. It can be hard to tear yourself away from a high pressure career when you're all caught up in the middle of it, and barely able see your way out.
That 29 night trip to Manhattan, Paris, Morocco and Madrid was absolute magic, but when we got back, my life began to slowly and dramatically unravel. Over the subsequent five-year period my life changed completely, and with that, so did I. Thankfully, I've emerged at last, and come out through the other side of what was an abyss. And for the past year or more I've been too busy working multiple jobs to think too much more about it, in any detail. That's probably a good thing.
Now that I've organised this next big overseas trip seven years since the last, I figure I should start a whole new blog for it, so here we are... on blogspot. When we got back, we promised our then five year old daughter that we'd never leave her again. We said we'd take her everywhere we go, when ever and where ever that may be. We've kept our word on that.
In May 2013 we did manage to spend a week together in Hong Kong. We took some wonderful photos, but at the time I didn't feel like writing about it. Now, three years later, I think I'm ready. I'm not sure yet whether I'll integrate photos into this blog, or just leave it as a text-based travel log. Time will tell.
So where are we going this time? And why? Well, it's a very long story, but basically I had this idea that I'd be presenting one or two academic papers at a conference in Montreal, as an independent. With this great ambition in mind, I paid for our flights a full year ago, at entirely inflexible, bargain basement rates. A few months later I found out that the conference organisers had pulled the whole conference forward by five days. So now, instead of my first full day in Montreal being a clear day for jet-lag adjustment prior to the conference starting, my first day is the very last day of the conference, and it's basically all over. Obviously, there's no point paying several hundred to register for half a day of sessions, the morning after I've taken a mammoth long-leg flight across the globe. I've also noticed that half the conference is in French anyway, which I should have known, but somehow neglected to think about. Oh well.
For a short while I was shocked and annoyed, wondering why this extravagant trip to all these mind-boggling heritage places on my B list for places to go in my lifetime. Since then, I've decided it was obviously meant to be. It's hard for Australians to make it to these sort of places: up and down the East Coast of the U.S., because to do so assumes you may have already seen absolutely everything on your dream destination A list.
Personally, I am fortunate to have been to almost all the places on my U.S. A list (New York City, San Francisco, New Orleans & Chicago), but there's a long list of places on my European A list that I've not been, as yet. Still, I may as well make the most of it and enjoy it. What else can I do? I've spent a non-refundable small fortune on flights and accom already. It's a great privilege to be going and our little family does need a break afterall. We've had a pretty hard time emotionally these last five or more years.
If I hadn't been planning to attend that Conference, I would love to have organised to be there for the Montreal Jazz Festival, which is also during our daughter's school holidays. Instead we're there in June, which is a bit weird, but at least it's during the Australian Uni swat vac and exam period and break, and straight after my Festival wrap up happens, so it is strangely perfect timing with regard to my work commitments.
This trip does give me something monumentally inspiring to do during June, it must be said. And when I return to resume my PhD studies part-time, I'll do so with fresh recollections of grand heritage cities and spaces clearly in mind. That can only be a good thing, given my PhD is in history... Maybe it was meant to be after-all.
I still haven't explained where we're going, have I? I guess that can be the subject of my next post.
That 29 night trip to Manhattan, Paris, Morocco and Madrid was absolute magic, but when we got back, my life began to slowly and dramatically unravel. Over the subsequent five-year period my life changed completely, and with that, so did I. Thankfully, I've emerged at last, and come out through the other side of what was an abyss. And for the past year or more I've been too busy working multiple jobs to think too much more about it, in any detail. That's probably a good thing.
Now that I've organised this next big overseas trip seven years since the last, I figure I should start a whole new blog for it, so here we are... on blogspot. When we got back, we promised our then five year old daughter that we'd never leave her again. We said we'd take her everywhere we go, when ever and where ever that may be. We've kept our word on that.
In May 2013 we did manage to spend a week together in Hong Kong. We took some wonderful photos, but at the time I didn't feel like writing about it. Now, three years later, I think I'm ready. I'm not sure yet whether I'll integrate photos into this blog, or just leave it as a text-based travel log. Time will tell.
So where are we going this time? And why? Well, it's a very long story, but basically I had this idea that I'd be presenting one or two academic papers at a conference in Montreal, as an independent. With this great ambition in mind, I paid for our flights a full year ago, at entirely inflexible, bargain basement rates. A few months later I found out that the conference organisers had pulled the whole conference forward by five days. So now, instead of my first full day in Montreal being a clear day for jet-lag adjustment prior to the conference starting, my first day is the very last day of the conference, and it's basically all over. Obviously, there's no point paying several hundred to register for half a day of sessions, the morning after I've taken a mammoth long-leg flight across the globe. I've also noticed that half the conference is in French anyway, which I should have known, but somehow neglected to think about. Oh well.
For a short while I was shocked and annoyed, wondering why this extravagant trip to all these mind-boggling heritage places on my B list for places to go in my lifetime. Since then, I've decided it was obviously meant to be. It's hard for Australians to make it to these sort of places: up and down the East Coast of the U.S., because to do so assumes you may have already seen absolutely everything on your dream destination A list.
Personally, I am fortunate to have been to almost all the places on my U.S. A list (New York City, San Francisco, New Orleans & Chicago), but there's a long list of places on my European A list that I've not been, as yet. Still, I may as well make the most of it and enjoy it. What else can I do? I've spent a non-refundable small fortune on flights and accom already. It's a great privilege to be going and our little family does need a break afterall. We've had a pretty hard time emotionally these last five or more years.
If I hadn't been planning to attend that Conference, I would love to have organised to be there for the Montreal Jazz Festival, which is also during our daughter's school holidays. Instead we're there in June, which is a bit weird, but at least it's during the Australian Uni swat vac and exam period and break, and straight after my Festival wrap up happens, so it is strangely perfect timing with regard to my work commitments.
This trip does give me something monumentally inspiring to do during June, it must be said. And when I return to resume my PhD studies part-time, I'll do so with fresh recollections of grand heritage cities and spaces clearly in mind. That can only be a good thing, given my PhD is in history... Maybe it was meant to be after-all.
I still haven't explained where we're going, have I? I guess that can be the subject of my next post.
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