Four Cities in six days

With the weather forecast not being too bright, we decided to leave the cottage a day early and use the extra time in London to prepare for our lightening tour of East Canada. We set off after a splendid meal of fish and chips from The Fish & Chip Place in Tobermory. On Sunday we packed the hire car (7 seater) with our luggage (it was amazing how much it swallowed, complete as it was with a with huge stowage area under the floor). It was 6 hours to Ottawa. After we had checked in to the Marriott that Ollie had managed to book through Priceline, we went for a little walk around town, found a nice bistro where we had our evening meal, then had another wander with Sue taking a lot of pictures of the interesting architecture in the gathering dusk before heading back for bed.

Val imitates the guard outside the Governor General's residence

The next day we were up at the Parliament Buildings to see the colourful changing of the guard ceremony at 10:00. There were some unique movements that I have never seen on a parade ground before. After getting our fill of the pomp and ceremony, we headed off to fill the inner us and surprisingly enough ended up at Tim Hortons where Sue and I enjoyed a splendid breakfast roll with bacon. We were lucky enough to discover that the Governor General's house had an open house that morning so were able to have a look round. It was interesting to see the rooms used by the Queens representative for formal occasions and we enjoyed wandering through the gardens, where I took a photo of a totem pole.

We had a look through the fencing at the Prime Ministers rather impressive place; Dave pretended to have a chat with him on his mobile until a guard with a sense of humour bypass came out to ask him if there was a problem. We walked just down the road from here to see the Rideau Falls, where the River Rideau tumbles into the Ottawa River. In the the afternoon Sue and I went up the Peace Tower of the House of Commons and very interesting it was too. The views from the top were well worth the wait (about an hour in total) to get there. Inside the building the architecture was quite fascinating too. There is a room in the tower dedicated to all those Canadians killed in the various conflicts of the last 100 years or so. The room contains books of the fallen; it is very moving.

Rideau locks

From there we went round the back of the building and down the Rideau lock system. This was built to allow transport between the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. In the winter, it freezes over and for a couple of months is used as the longest skating rink in the world. Apparently some people use it to commute to work.

We were absolutely parched and so on the way back stopped for a quick pint of Honey Brown, which was just what the Doctor ordered! In the evening we had a glorious meal at a restaurant that Ollie and Ang had selected, in a quaint square off the main road. Following this, we went up to parliament hill (seeing a groundhog in the gardens)

to see the son et lumiere played on the parliament building about the growth of Canada. It was very good and if you were Canadian, I should imagine it would make you feel good about yourself.

Son et lumiere

On Tuesday morning we were up fairly early and on the road just before 10:00. Our initial idea of grabbing a Tim Hortons breakfast roll were scuppered by a long queue (I found that this was common to Tim Hortons everywhere although usually the queues move quite quickly), so we got in the car again and drove to the first likely place on the outskirts of Ottawa. Sue & I fancied a MacDonalds breakfast roll for a change, especially as it was on the same side of the road as a Canadian Tire warehouse where we thought we may be able to get a spare fuse for our adapters. We arrived in Quebec about 3pm and made for a tourist information office to get some advice on booking a room or three, as we hadn't been able to book any accommodation (the 400th Anniversary celebrations may have accounted for full bookings). After following the advice and trying to book by calling on the phone and personal visits, we found there were no rooms to be had. Back at the Tourist info centre, we tried to phone a few without success until sonic Dave overheard a conversation which suggested somewhere with rooms; we were on it like a flash and ended up with a motel just out of the city centre at the end of a bus route by a park & ride. We would never have found the motel without satnav! Having settled ourselves in, we got on the bus to the city centre; it was hot and crowded and as we got close to the centre, we had major traffic problems. Ultimately, we got where we were going and walked through the old town, looking for somewhere to eat – everywhere was packed and there were queues for all the eateries we found. Ultimately we settled on a place and resigned ourselves to waiting. We were told it would be 30 minutes but I would think we were seated in about 25. Sue & I had very good salads washed down with white beer which was very good and followed it with a 9% abv beer which was a bit like plain chocolate. Perhaps surprisingly very good indeed.

We all made our way up towards the citadel and high town but found it crowded; there was a carnival procession winding its way through the streets. We decided to return early the next day.

On Wednesday morning we took the car into town and parked near the harbour. We walked up through the old town to the funicular and disembarked outside the Chateau Frontenac Hotel, walking through the lower level of the hotel which had a shopping arcade, to the old fort and round this to battlefield park with the heights of Abraham. We had a good view over the city and river from here. Back to the town, via the parliament buildings near which there was a large size Inuksuk as well as statues of former luminaries, the French influence in the architecture was unsurprisingly very strong. You could be in any old French town. We wandered the quaint centre for a while taking in the sights – one alleyway could easily have been on the right bank in Paris. Then re-embarking for our trip to Montreal.

Our hotel was in a good, pretty central location. It took us a little while to find it, located above a nice Indian restaurant, the owners of which ran the hotel. The rooms were nicely furnished and comfortable, although rather on the small side. After settling in with a quick drink, we went for a walk into the restaurant area to find somewhere to eat. After some debate we settled on a nice place called the Three Brewers, which had some nice brews of their own. There was a good menu with something for everyone and we all had a good meal.

We were woken at about 3am by much banging in the hall. Some lads had obviously been out on the town and had too much to drink, coming back and shouting at one another and banging their doors. It went on for too long to be funny, then as I was finally dropping off to sleep, there was a knock on our door. In my befuddled state I thought it may be Ollie, so I got up and answered it. A young man in a state of some intoxication asked for his shoes back. I thought I had misheard, so asked him to repeat it. He wanted his shoes; I told him I didn't have his shoes which caused him to explode with 'You're xxxxing lying!'. Briefly, I thought of discussing the matter with him, then realised I didn't need to and cut him off in mid flow by slamming the door in his face.

Day 2 in Montreal started with a split of forces, with one group going shopping and the other going to the tourist office to find out about caleche tours. We were waylaid by a stern woman on entry, having a ticket thrust upon us with instructions to wait until called. We explained that we just wanted some information about caleche tours (like where they start) but she instructed us that her colleague would give us the information we needed then resumed her stance behind the desk waiting for the next victim. After a wait of about 15 mins we were called and told that the tours started in the old town, the rates were set by the city and were published for all to see at the head of the queues. There were 3 tours; 30 mins 45 mins and bespoke.

While waiting for the shopping party to rejoin us, we walked around the green space in front of the office. There was a memorial for the boer war and a replica of the Lion of Belfort, commissioned by Sun Life whose offices also face the square. The Sun Life building was apparently where the crown jewels were held during WWII; it was also apparently the largest building in the city for many years. Whether one of these facts is significant in the relation to the other is unknown.

Once together again, moved on to the old quarter and stopped to have a look at Notre Dame. From the outside it looked much like any other cathedral but inside it was astonishing. I found myself with the familiar dual pull of admiration for the craftsmanship, imagination, history, the deep richness of the scene and the puritanical; was this really done for the glory of god or was it done for the glory and comfort of the incumbent – wouldn't the money have been better spent and god be more glorified by the church alleviating the suffering of the poor of the parish? Having said that, if the money had been spent on the poor, the edifice would not be still stunning people some 200 years later while many generations of poor would have come and gone, the benefit to them largely invisible. Just as wealthy people over generations have used their wealth to self-advertise by supporting artists – but if they hadn't, we wouldn't have had the great wealth of art to enjoy today; an interesting paradox.

After grabbing a quick bite of lunch, we found a caleche and took a tour with Kris, Dave and Val. Whenever we went over some cobbles, the caleche rattled like a snare drum and I jiggled around much to the amusement of Val. It was interesting though Montreal doesn't have quite the same wealth of history or atmosphere about its old town as Quebec. The French influence is noticable but much less marked here than in Quebec; it is its own city. My impression is that the real heart of Montreal is in the newer parts, where its vibrancy, energy and optimism appeal strongly to the young. Certainly around the university area, where Sue & I stopped for a coffee after viewing the statue of the crowd it is palpable.

Taking our leave from Kris, Dave & Val at the end of the tour, Ollie, Ang Sue & I went on a hunt for somewhere suitable for our end of holiday meal/Canadian 60th Birthday celebration. We saw several possibles, but then found Gilly's and the choice was made.

Ollie and Ang then left us to get ready for her meeting at the university and Sue & I wandered off to do a little retail therapy go to look at the aforementioned 'crowd' statue. This fascinating piece is quite provocative and it struck me forcibly that at one end the people are portrayed optimistically, while as you move further down, man descends into violence, anarchy and despair. An interesting and insightful perspective on the nature of the masters of this planet.

I booked a table at Gilly's and we had an absolutely fabulous evening there; the quality of the meals were superb – and everyone was defeated by the generosity of the portions. Dave had organised a birthday cake, which was presented at the end of the meal. But we were too full to enjoy it, so had it packed up to enjoy the next day. Poor Dave had to be careful of his alcoholic intake as he was driving us back to the hotel. There were no such constraints for me.

On Friday, feeling a little fragile, personally, we packed up and hit the road for the long trip back to London with Dave and Ollie sharing the driving. While we unpacked and then re-packed ready for our trip tomorrow, Kris got us a lovely meal and afterwards we toasted the holiday and friendship with a glass of champagne. Then bed for our last night in Canada, after a wonderfully exciting and full holiday, courtesy of the Nyhout family, to whom we are deeply grateful.

written by

rickandsuejohnson on August 8, 2008 from London, Canada

from the travel blog: Two Thumbs up for the Canucks

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