Montreal Rainout
This is my last update on the road as I will be flying back home tomorrow morning. Spending six-weeks on the road overseas is tiring; I am ready to sleep in my own bed and go back to work to resume normalcy in my life.
On this last stop in Montreal, the weather finally foiled my spotting plans. Even with four scheduled days here, the weather gods never let out the sun. It is such a shame, because I am staying at the luxurious Marriott Montreal Airport hotel amidst all the action. It is a spotter's dream hotel!
My room overlooks Runway 06R…
…while the gym and the Concierge Lounge overlooks one of the ramp areas.
Being in Quebec is like a country within a country. Here, Quebec-French is the primary language and that’s what I see and hear everywhere.
Instead of spotting, I had plenty of time to enjoy the local sights and culture.
From Mount Royal, looking down on the city and the Olympic Park (1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal).
Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. Construction started in 1924 and was completed in 1967.
The interior is decidedly art-deco.
Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal. Construction started in 1824 and was completed in 1843. It was the largest church in North America for over 50 years.
The inside is spectacular!
The Hudson Bay Company. Remember them from your history books? It is a huge department store, similar to Macy’s or Sears.
I met up with my friend Captain Mike, a Bay Area native now Montreal resident, and his wife Martine.
Well-known local foods include bagels from St-Viateur Bagel. Fresh from the brick oven, it was warm and yummy!
Poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese curds). I had mine with chicken. It tasted like pizza with french fries with a side of roasted chicken. The flavor was not as clashy as it sounds, however the fries got really soggy with the gravy. I hate soggy fries. I don't know why whoever invented poutine decided to make cripsy fries all soggy by drenching them all in gravy!
And of course I could not leave Canada without having Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts!
Still to come – a comprehensive write-up about my safari experience (with lots of animal photos) and a trip report of my DC-4 flight in South Africa.
Previous posts from this trip:
On this last stop in Montreal, the weather finally foiled my spotting plans. Even with four scheduled days here, the weather gods never let out the sun. It is such a shame, because I am staying at the luxurious Marriott Montreal Airport hotel amidst all the action. It is a spotter's dream hotel!
My room overlooks Runway 06R…
…while the gym and the Concierge Lounge overlooks one of the ramp areas.
Being in Quebec is like a country within a country. Here, Quebec-French is the primary language and that’s what I see and hear everywhere.
Instead of spotting, I had plenty of time to enjoy the local sights and culture.
From Mount Royal, looking down on the city and the Olympic Park (1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal).
Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. Construction started in 1924 and was completed in 1967.
The interior is decidedly art-deco.
Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal. Construction started in 1824 and was completed in 1843. It was the largest church in North America for over 50 years.
The inside is spectacular!
The Hudson Bay Company. Remember them from your history books? It is a huge department store, similar to Macy’s or Sears.
I met up with my friend Captain Mike, a Bay Area native now Montreal resident, and his wife Martine.
Well-known local foods include bagels from St-Viateur Bagel. Fresh from the brick oven, it was warm and yummy!
Poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese curds). I had mine with chicken. It tasted like pizza with french fries with a side of roasted chicken. The flavor was not as clashy as it sounds, however the fries got really soggy with the gravy. I hate soggy fries. I don't know why whoever invented poutine decided to make cripsy fries all soggy by drenching them all in gravy!
And of course I could not leave Canada without having Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts!
Still to come – a comprehensive write-up about my safari experience (with lots of animal photos) and a trip report of my DC-4 flight in South Africa.
Previous posts from this trip:
- Down Under for Some Tight-Assed Fish
- My Travels to Middle Earth
- My First "Super" Flight
- Impressions of Phuket
- Steamed Out in Turkey
- Bobbing Down the Bosphorus
- The Big Five
- Incredible Iguazu
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