Old Town Montreal

Technically the city of Montreal is OLDER than the country of Canada.

So there is a plethora of history to be seen and experienced.

Our Friday started navigating the Metro System to get to Old Town Montreal by the Canal.

Cartier Square (pronounced Car-t-A)

Onto St. Paul street!

THEN THE BEST STORE IN THE CITY!

I look just like a little kid scurrying inside.

CHRISTMAS!!!!!! (and some Halloween)

Notre Dame Basilica

Hey mom, did you know you're name is famous in Montreal? You were their first nurse and so loved that they put you on stained glass inside the Basilica!

(My mom's name is Jeanne sans Mance)

This picture can't even describe the awe you feel walking into such a place.

It seats 3,000 and every inch was ornate and gorgeous.

Not to mention the Bride's Chapel in the back.

The sculpture behind Mary (our guide) is made of 22 tons of Bronze.

*Nerd Alert* SmithCale took a sculpture class at ACU and made little foot tall statue that was about 10 pounds.

A mold has to be made, then the bronze must be poured.

Holy Moly.

SmithCale was in need of a pre-dinner snooze.

I'd read about Cafe Stash in our guide book and again online, so we knew we had to try it.

It was Polish Food!

I do believe he captured the exact moment of when they were bringing out our borscht.

Borscht! AKA beetroot soup. Surprisingly good!

Food for Travel,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Montreal Via Bikes

Wednesday started with light rain and mostly cloud cover, so luckily they didn't reschedule our tour.

We started out nice and early just to get lost on the bus system and spend the best $20 ever on a taxi to make it to Fitz & Follwell just in time.

We were fitted with proper head gear.

Meet the friendliest dog ever: Mila.

and prepared to depart!

Our first stop was Mount Royal, which is the tallest "mountain" on the island.

I wish we had gotten a non-biking picture with the following couple. They are Jeremy and Christina from Denver, CO. SmithCale and I both agreed that he was a doppelganger for our Bro-in-law, Ben.

Ogled at yet another gift from the French.

*Brief interlude for a down pour and to buy cheap controversial ponchos*

Why were they controversial?

A little back story first, Quebec is about 80% french-speaking, which is a stark contrast to the other Provinces.

In the 80s there was a movement to separate itself from Canada, and small pockets of this ideal still remain.

Last stop: the Atwater Market for pizza and sadness.

Why sadness? Because it was filled for tons of local produce, butchers, fancy cheeses and no way for us to bring any of it home.

Truly beautiful. So beautiful we went back Friday and Saturday

Normally, a tour is from 10-1, but due to the rain and our guide's watch stopping, we didn't get back until after 3!

The guide was fun and full of facts and our group was easy-going and full of laughs.

Rain soaked and helmet-haired us and our fearless guide: Shontal

On the way back (via Metro, thanks to a fellow bike groupie who filled us naives in), SmithCale found graffiti so moving he had capture it.

Food for Travel,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal a time