It's Cold in Tadoussac?

Morning gave us a little break from the heat. It was still shorts and t-shirt weather, but there was a breeze and the humidity was gone.

Today's drive to Tadoussac wasn't meant to be too long, if we didn't mess up. The GPS, however, set us on a longer route, and we didn't realize anything was wrong until it was too late to turn back. We ended up in Chicoutimi, more than an hour inland from Tadoussac. Oops!

The ride was nice though. Coming down beside the Saguenay river was often quite beautiful. The road went up and down and twisted left and right.

By the time we got to Tadoussac it was cold. We booked in to Hotel George and immediately layered up. Before we went to dinner at the Beluga Restaurant, all of us were wearing coats. The overnight low temperature was predicted to be 9 degrees celsius (some different from 34 degrees yesterday).

Relief From the Heat

After the show at Notre-Dame Basilica, the four of us jumped in a taxi to rush back to our hotel where it was cool. A shower and a drink was required before we could feel human again. Only then did we discover that the temperature had reached 34 degrees celsius while we were out exploring.

Notre-Dame Basilica

From The Village, we took a taxi to Notre-Dame Basilic. We had tickets to "Aura", a spectacular light show.

Deb and I were here before and the show include amazing light features, informative videos, and insightful narrative. This time it was just light and music. It was a visually stunning display, but we were disappointed that the historical element was missing.

We could not take pictures during the light show, but were able to get some images to show the beauty of the church itself.

Hop On, Hop Off

We were only meant to be in Montreal for one full day, and this was it. The day started out a little cloudy, but soon the sun came out and the temperature started to climb. By the end, the day turned out to be the hottest day of the summer in Montreal. We were melting. Sweat poured from our pores as we forced ourselves to carry on and experience as much as possible.

Breakfast was at Dunn's Famous Montreal Smoked Meat Restaurant (It said famous right there on the sign). The smoked meat was wonderful. I loved the Montreal bagels, but the rest was just passable. I do not believe that hot dogs should be allowed to pass as sausages.

Here is our Hop On, Hop Off bus, right in front of the tourist centre, across the road from Dunn's, and only three blocks from our hotel.

The sculpture is meant to represent the Olympic Flame. The names of every Canadian athlete who has ever won an olympic medal are engraved here.

Montreal is a city of Murals. They are everywhere and many are very beautiful.

This is the only entrance to the subway which is above ground. The gate itself is from the Paris Métro and was leased and the given to the city of Montreal.

Apparently the Catholic church has lost many followers in the last couple generations. Many churches are virtually empty and many have been converted to condos and community centres. This one has been virtually demolished. Only the spire is left standing.

This mural of Leonard Cohen is perhaps the most famous of them all.

The front of this Museum of Art is decorated with a totem pole from BC, and a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly

Of course there are many beautiful homes on the way up to Mount Royal. The prices increase as you go higher.

Saint Joseph's Oratory at the top of Mount Royal

Our only view of the Olympic Stadium was from a great distance

We wandered casually through the heat on Rue St. Paul and ducked into a little restaurant for lunch and a cold beer. We did not sit outside on the patio.

After lunch we visited "The Village" where the Pride flag is represented by a massive array of coloured lights hanging over the street.

Montreal

Well, it did seem to take a while, but we have arrived. The Sheraton Hotel is downtown and it is big. The rooms are standard, very clean, very comfortable, with all the required amenities.

The first thing to do is to check out the view.

Dinner was in a Chair restaurant just a couple blocks away. Drinks were in our rooms and then we were ready to crash.

So Let's go ... Really

Our destination is Nova Scotia - Halifax, Lunenburg, the Bluenose II, the Cape Breton Trail, and seafood, lots of seafood. We are travelling with Jim (Rags) and Aileen Hill. On the first day the plan is to get to Montreal.

After our late start, by early afternoon, we had only gone as far as Kingston and we all needed some food. Rags knew of a Vietnamese restaurant that he liked and the GPS gave a good rating on a Thai restaurant in the same neighbourhood. Let's go.

About then, Deb realized that she had forgotten her white cane. She said, "Oh, I can get by without it.", but we all knew she couldn't. Luckily, Aileen knew that the Kingston CNIB office (Canadian National Institute for the blind) was near the restaurant. It was. We were able to find the office. Unfortunately, the front door was locked and the building was being renovated.

Entering through the back door we found workers and noise and one small room with CNIB personnel. The mobility expert (who had the canes locked up somewhere), was missing, but a phone call convinced her to come into the office. We were able to buy a new cane and Debby left with a smile.

After a bowl of Vietnamese Pho Tai soup, we were then really headed for Montreal.

Road Trip: Day One

Our Road Trip begins (the first in what seems like forever). But first ......

Debby has an appointment with the eye doctor - today we think.

On the weekend we realized that there were two appointments on the calendar. One was Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. (day one). The second was on a Thursday in a bit more than two weeks (while we are meant to be away).

We hoped the correct date was tuesday, but we know that the doctor has never before opened her Oshawa office on a Tuesday. We couldn't check because she has been on holiday until Tuesday.

The only solution is to get in the car and drive to Oshawa early in the morning. Oh well!

We could't reach the office by phone and when we arrived we found a locked door. On the way back home Deb tried the office occasionally and finally got an answer just before we reached Peterborough. We were able to shift the appointment by a week and all we had lost was a little travel time.