Everyone slept in a bit this morning after so much walking yesterday. Some of us more than others… Brandon & I were up around 8am. Justin fell out of bed and kept right on sleeping on the floor --we woke Justin up around 9. At 9:30, I couldn’t wait any longer, so the boys & I went downstairs & got some breakfast. We finally heard from everyone else around 10:30!
So, while everyone else had brunch(?), the boys & I went for a walk. This time, we headed toward the newer section of town and the main shopping street, which had a distinct big-city feel to it. We stopped in a big electronic store to drool over phones & other gadgets for a while. We also found a spot where they were setting up for a big, free outdoor comedy festival later this evening.
By the time we rounded a few more blocks and got back to the hotel, everybody was ready to go. We jumped in 2 cabs and headed for the Olympic Stadium complex. Michele, Sandy, Megan, & Cameron went in the first cab while the rest of us were in the 2nd. We tried to coordinate the exact drop off point via telephone on the way, but Michele’s driver was new and didn’t know the area very well. Instead of dropping them off by the observation tower near us, they ended up in a parking garage somewhere. There were quite a few frustrating minutes as Michele tried to lead her group to us. She described her location to me on the phone while I looked at a map and talked her in.
As it turns out, they weren’t very far away, so in 10-15 minutes, we were all reunited again. Our first stop was the observation tower. We bought tickets in the lobby and then boarded the funicular (inclined elevator on the outside of the building) for the ride to the top. The view was great up there. Plus, it was enclosed, so it wasn’t too hot, sunny, or windy. We spent a while looking around & taking photos, then came back down.
Due to a city worker labor strike, the “bio-dome” and “insectariums” were closed, but the nearby botanical gardens were open. We walked about 10 minutes uphill, found the entrance, and went in. By now, it was about 1:30 and quite warm & sunny out. We kept look for shade, but there was not very much of it to be found. To make matters worse, the trails & roads were all criss-crossed, curved, and poorly marked. It was very difficult to follow along with the map. We finally managed to find the Chinese garden where we stopped for a break.
The gardens were OK, but everyone was kind of bored, so we decided to try the free train that goes around the entire park. After some more searching, we found out way to the boarding area and got on. This turned out to be a much better way to see the garden since we were in the shade and we were sitting down! A loop around the park took about 20 minutes.
After the train ride, we decided to head back down the hill to the observation tower to get a snack in the lobby café. Michele & I tried Poutine, a local dish of French fries smothered with gravy and cheese curds on top. Yummy! The boys got mini-cheese pizza’s. Brandon took one bite of his and then said his tooth felt loose. After closer inspection, Dr. Michele decided it was time to come out. I held Brandon’s hand while Michele grabbed it and pulled. It came out with little resistance, so I guess the tooth fairy will be coming to the hotel tonight.
We finished up our snack and then grabbed cabs back to the hotel. We got in around 4pm and took a quick power nap. At 5:30pm, we went back out. Our mission was to find the pharmacy to buy more diapers for Megan. After we got that sorted out, we strolled down the main shopping street while Michele darted in and out of a few interesting stores. We ended up at the Baton Rouge restaurant near the Bell Centre for dinner and it was great. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel.
We enjoyed out visit to Montreal, but I must say that I liked Quebec City better. Our next stop is the Deerhurst Resort, which is on a lake several hours (by car) North of Toronto. Our plan there is to relax and recuperate from all our big city walking tours. No specific plans –just play, swim, and have fun. I hope the weather cooperates.
So, while everyone else had brunch(?), the boys & I went for a walk. This time, we headed toward the newer section of town and the main shopping street, which had a distinct big-city feel to it. We stopped in a big electronic store to drool over phones & other gadgets for a while. We also found a spot where they were setting up for a big, free outdoor comedy festival later this evening.
By the time we rounded a few more blocks and got back to the hotel, everybody was ready to go. We jumped in 2 cabs and headed for the Olympic Stadium complex. Michele, Sandy, Megan, & Cameron went in the first cab while the rest of us were in the 2nd. We tried to coordinate the exact drop off point via telephone on the way, but Michele’s driver was new and didn’t know the area very well. Instead of dropping them off by the observation tower near us, they ended up in a parking garage somewhere. There were quite a few frustrating minutes as Michele tried to lead her group to us. She described her location to me on the phone while I looked at a map and talked her in.
As it turns out, they weren’t very far away, so in 10-15 minutes, we were all reunited again. Our first stop was the observation tower. We bought tickets in the lobby and then boarded the funicular (inclined elevator on the outside of the building) for the ride to the top. The view was great up there. Plus, it was enclosed, so it wasn’t too hot, sunny, or windy. We spent a while looking around & taking photos, then came back down.
Due to a city worker labor strike, the “bio-dome” and “insectariums” were closed, but the nearby botanical gardens were open. We walked about 10 minutes uphill, found the entrance, and went in. By now, it was about 1:30 and quite warm & sunny out. We kept look for shade, but there was not very much of it to be found. To make matters worse, the trails & roads were all criss-crossed, curved, and poorly marked. It was very difficult to follow along with the map. We finally managed to find the Chinese garden where we stopped for a break.
The gardens were OK, but everyone was kind of bored, so we decided to try the free train that goes around the entire park. After some more searching, we found out way to the boarding area and got on. This turned out to be a much better way to see the garden since we were in the shade and we were sitting down! A loop around the park took about 20 minutes.
After the train ride, we decided to head back down the hill to the observation tower to get a snack in the lobby café. Michele & I tried Poutine, a local dish of French fries smothered with gravy and cheese curds on top. Yummy! The boys got mini-cheese pizza’s. Brandon took one bite of his and then said his tooth felt loose. After closer inspection, Dr. Michele decided it was time to come out. I held Brandon’s hand while Michele grabbed it and pulled. It came out with little resistance, so I guess the tooth fairy will be coming to the hotel tonight.
We finished up our snack and then grabbed cabs back to the hotel. We got in around 4pm and took a quick power nap. At 5:30pm, we went back out. Our mission was to find the pharmacy to buy more diapers for Megan. After we got that sorted out, we strolled down the main shopping street while Michele darted in and out of a few interesting stores. We ended up at the Baton Rouge restaurant near the Bell Centre for dinner and it was great. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel.
We enjoyed out visit to Montreal, but I must say that I liked Quebec City better. Our next stop is the Deerhurst Resort, which is on a lake several hours (by car) North of Toronto. Our plan there is to relax and recuperate from all our big city walking tours. No specific plans –just play, swim, and have fun. I hope the weather cooperates.
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