Anachronistic Vacation

I'm still trying to get into the groove of blogging. I really really really meant to get to this done when we were in Montreal or shortly thereafter.

Anyhoo,

I happened to be in Montreal for IETF 66. That's a pretty strange group of folks, but I won't get into that here.

CB took care of all of the hotel arrangements. We picked Hotel Gault largely based on a recommendation from Lt. Dan and Nellie. The hotel is very art-deco and minimalist, which I normally don't like, but it was obviously designed very carefully and it struck me as very tranquil. It felt more like we were staying in an upscale condo than in a hotel. The concierge, Andre, was a real highlight. Very friendly. Loves his job. We kept asking him for restaurant recommendations with ridiculously vague requirements, but man did he step up. I suppose I should have just said we aren't particular to any specific type of food, but rather we were just looking for great food. It never seems to come out of my mouth the way it sounds in my head, though. In any case, we went with his recommendations both nights. On the Saturday night, he even bought us champagne to have before our meal.

I swear that the breakfast alone is worth the stay. Most of it was organic and ALL of it was top notch ingredients. There were all the staples plus a half dozen pastries and cakes, fresh berries, chocolate dipped fruit (including those little yellow tomatoes - mmmmm), exotic cheeses (I'm not talking sharp Cheddar here - a few of these we have never seen and trust me, CB knows her cheese); the list just goes in. Freakin' amazing.

Friday night we spent a romantic evening on the harbour front of Vieux (old) Montreal. We had a decent meal at Pier Gabriel. That may sound like it is not an overly positive recommendation, but bear in mind we were in probably the most touristy area of Montreal. It far exceeded my expectations. Afterwards, we wandered over to an amphitheatre and sat on some grass and bootlegged a reggae concert. We lounged; we cuddled (as much as I am capable of); we made fun of the teenage couple who literally stared into each others eyes for about thirty minutes without moving. Pretty sure they were high.

Saturday, we hoofed it up Mont-Royal. I guess I had never thought of it, but this was the first time I clued in as to where Montreal got its name. Talk about an embarrassing revelation. It was hot and humid, but a very nice walk none-the-less. Just as we reached Beaver Lake (I think that's the name), the skies opened and drenched the mountain. Fortunately for us there was shelter. We hunkered down for a bit and then eventually caught a bus.

Lt. Dan and Nellie had recommended Brewtopia, but we ended up at Les Trois Brasseries (both covered here). Unfortunately, CB's schedule did not allow us to wait for the 3pm opening of Brewtopia. Les Trois Brasseries was fun, though. Good food and they brew locally at each pub despite being a chain of sorts.

I'm not normally a fan of modern art (I really didn't like MOMA), but we decided to give it one more shot and we went to Montreal's Musee d'art contemporain de Montreal. There were some very notable exhibits. Oddly, as it seems too simple an idea, I actually found the temporary Projection Series exhibit the most interesting.

Saturday evening was spent at dinner at O Chalet. Unfortunately, by combining English and French when speaking to the cabbie, I told him I would like him "to take us to the cottage". He was very confused. So much so that he took us to the west end rather than the east end first. It didn't dampen our spirit however. We went adventurous and had the prix fixe. We were not disappointed.

Sunday we spent at the BioDome and the Royal Botanical Gardens. Now that is a full day. I would highly recommend the gardens to anyone visiting Montreal:



oh, breakfast! Gotta run.