K & L's Travel Blog

On Tuesday our weather was influenced by “former tropical storm Lee.” We were happy to brave the drizzle on Monday, but on Tuesday we are greeted with a steady, heavy rain and decide to spend the day inside. I finish up a blog and work on photos while Kitty works a jigsaw puzzle. We’re lucky to have such a bright, nice place to relax. “Excessive rain” and flood warnings are issued. We hang out.

If it hadn’t been for the fact we had dinner reservations at 6:00, I don’t think we would have ventured out at all. As it was, supper at Le Cloucher Penché was well worth braving the gale. I have been eating oysters at every turn and these were the best thus far. We can’t seem to keep up with oyster names, but they were PEI/IPE. We shared scallops for our second course and then cod filet, finishing with a Crême Brûlée. It was a pricey meal, but well worth it. 

We find that splitting meals works well for us. When we don’t, we inevitably end up with leftovers and just make a second meal of it at home. 

On Wednesday we get an early start and have breakfast at Stat Café (just around the corner) and then head onto Montmorency Falls, about a 35 minute bus ride from our neighborhood. By the time we get to the stop (end of the line) everyone on the bus is headed to the falls. The driver directs us to head down the road about .5 mile to the entrance. We march as a group and then stand patiently together for about 5 minutes at the ticket gatehouse until officials divert us to a gatehouse with a functioning card reader. Kitty adds the frustration to her growing list of ineffective systems. 

We’ve noted that the pricing scales differ here than at home or in Europe. There’s a notable price differential for residents of QC and non-residents. At the Botanical Gardens in Montréal, youth under 25 were discounted more than those over 65. At Montmorency Falls, we were given a .25 senior discount on 7.00 CAD tickets, and then paid again to ride the gondola down to the viewing area.  The entire park is pretty large. At the top there’s a reconstructed 18^th century Manoir with a dining area reminiscent of Capon Springs, although here there are no residents.

We ride the cable car down for the real show. All the rain yesterday means that the falls are at their peak and quite thunderous. We follow boardwalks at the bottom to see the falls in its entirety from various perspectives, and even get a bit of rainbow when the sun emerges.

We bus it back to town, get off at the Gare du Palais and head for lunch at La Patate d’Or, a restaurant Kitty had spotted a couple of days.  I get a “Croquette Monsieur” expecting a basic grilled ham and cheese and am greeted by a massive expanse of sandwich. Kitty gets a chicken salad. 

We take time to venture into the Old Town again as the Morrin Center is now open. We check out the city library that is housed in a renovated church and then go to the historical English library across the street. I find it fully satisfied my expectations. I took a few photos and eavesdropped on a small group discussing Bury Your Dead.  I imagine what it would be like to live here and come here to check out books or research. 

We wander back into Old Town, which is not as crowded as it was on Sunday, but still packed with large (40+) tour groups. We make our way down “Breakneck Stairs” following behind an inspirational woman who must have been 80. I get a photo of a famous mural while we listen to the tour group explanation (a celebration of workers & hardships they faced), and then we attempt to find our bus home. The buses have been frustrating: often late or non-existence. My sense is there is so much road construction Google Maps can’t keep up. At any rate, after weaving our way through a construction zone we come to a familiar stop near the ferry station. I’m enamored of Canadian ferry stations after last year’s trip to Dartmouth, NS. I check out this one expecting the same welcoming space of art, culture, food and am disappointed to find no common spaces, just a gate that won’t let me pass. Not all Canadian ferry terminals are Utopian. 

We get back to the apartment mid-afternoon. Kitty naps and I work on photos.  Again, between my leftover sandwich and fries, we have enough food to make for a satisfying supper and are asleep early.