We’re keeping the bad weather flying streak alive. It was grey & rainy today when we woke up with light rain forecast all along our route to Montreal. Bummer! There was nothing dangerous in the forecast (like thunderstorms or icing), so we went ahead as planned. I called in our fuel order and then we had breakfast, checked out, piled into 2 taxis and headed to the airport.
The drivers had a little trouble finding the right hanger / FBO, but we were very pleasantly surprised when we got there to find they had backed the plane into a hanger so we wouldn’t get soaked as we were loading up. Very thoughtful! We got the bags loaded and then the most unpleasant of my pilot jobs: Emptying the potty. I did this and pre-flighted the plane while Michele paid for the fuel. We all got in and then they towed us out of the hanger onto the ramp. We didn’t get wet at all –very nice!
We took off in the light rain and soon climbed into the clouds. It was cloudy and a little bumpy the whole way –we didn’t see land again until about an hour later when we were about to land in Montreal. After securing the plane, we took taxis to our hotel, The Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth, got checked in, and got some lunch.
After a quick visit to the room to freshen up & grab jackets, we headed out for a walking tour of the city. Sandy stayed back with Megan to rest and the rest of us left the hotel about 2pm and walked a few blocks to our first stop: Notre Dame Cathedral. WOW! I have visited a lot of churches in our travels and I think this is the most beautiful I have ever seen. I especially liked the blue glow all around the top of the altar. Stunning!
Next, we headed downhill to the riverfront, where we stopped at a café for a quick rest and drink. Then, it was only a block or two to the Museum of History & Archeology. We started with a 20 minute movie about the history of Montreal and then went to the basement to see a large underground display of excavations. I though the kids might enjoy being down there, but they were kind of bored. The most exciting part was when Cameron dropped his flip-flop over the side of the catwalk into one of the excavations and I had to help lower Brandon down to retrieve it!
When we went back outside, the sun was out and the rain had stopped. It turned into a beautiful afternoon. We walked along the river front checking out sights along the way. The troops were getting more & more tired and at one point, Michele sat down and I didn’t think I was going to get her back up. I had to deliver a stirring motivational speech to keep everyone walking.
Our next stop turned out to be a winner: The Labyrinth at Hanger 16 was at the far end of the waterfront area in an old building above the docks. The hotel concierge recommended it for the kids, but I didn’t really know what it was. We soon found out that it was a huge maze with walls made of big sheets of plastic and all kinds of obstacles, riddles, slides, bridges, towers, and more. The kids had a BLAST!
We finally found the exit after about an hour and headed to dinner. We had reservations at an Italian restaurant a few blocks away. Sandy & Megan took a cab from the hotel and met us there. Dinner was good and we were all happy to sit down for a while after 4+ hours of walking. After dinner, we got dessert at Dairy Queen (yes, they have DQ in Canada) and then started making our way back to the hotel.
I noticed a spot on the map where the concierge had circled. He said there was a little park there with some sort of display, but I couldn’t remember what, exactly. Something to do with fog? We stopped at the park and sat down to rest a few minutes. Sure enough, we started to see some fog coming up through the fountain. The boys took off their shoes and walked around in it until security came by and told them to get out because it was about to be lit up with fire. Coolest fountain ever!
After the fiery fountain, we limped a few more blocks back to the hotel. I don’t think any of us will have trouble sleeping tonight! We have all day to explore the city tomorrow, and I have a few ideas…
The drivers had a little trouble finding the right hanger / FBO, but we were very pleasantly surprised when we got there to find they had backed the plane into a hanger so we wouldn’t get soaked as we were loading up. Very thoughtful! We got the bags loaded and then the most unpleasant of my pilot jobs: Emptying the potty. I did this and pre-flighted the plane while Michele paid for the fuel. We all got in and then they towed us out of the hanger onto the ramp. We didn’t get wet at all –very nice!
We took off in the light rain and soon climbed into the clouds. It was cloudy and a little bumpy the whole way –we didn’t see land again until about an hour later when we were about to land in Montreal. After securing the plane, we took taxis to our hotel, The Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth, got checked in, and got some lunch.
After a quick visit to the room to freshen up & grab jackets, we headed out for a walking tour of the city. Sandy stayed back with Megan to rest and the rest of us left the hotel about 2pm and walked a few blocks to our first stop: Notre Dame Cathedral. WOW! I have visited a lot of churches in our travels and I think this is the most beautiful I have ever seen. I especially liked the blue glow all around the top of the altar. Stunning!
Next, we headed downhill to the riverfront, where we stopped at a café for a quick rest and drink. Then, it was only a block or two to the Museum of History & Archeology. We started with a 20 minute movie about the history of Montreal and then went to the basement to see a large underground display of excavations. I though the kids might enjoy being down there, but they were kind of bored. The most exciting part was when Cameron dropped his flip-flop over the side of the catwalk into one of the excavations and I had to help lower Brandon down to retrieve it!
When we went back outside, the sun was out and the rain had stopped. It turned into a beautiful afternoon. We walked along the river front checking out sights along the way. The troops were getting more & more tired and at one point, Michele sat down and I didn’t think I was going to get her back up. I had to deliver a stirring motivational speech to keep everyone walking.
Our next stop turned out to be a winner: The Labyrinth at Hanger 16 was at the far end of the waterfront area in an old building above the docks. The hotel concierge recommended it for the kids, but I didn’t really know what it was. We soon found out that it was a huge maze with walls made of big sheets of plastic and all kinds of obstacles, riddles, slides, bridges, towers, and more. The kids had a BLAST!
We finally found the exit after about an hour and headed to dinner. We had reservations at an Italian restaurant a few blocks away. Sandy & Megan took a cab from the hotel and met us there. Dinner was good and we were all happy to sit down for a while after 4+ hours of walking. After dinner, we got dessert at Dairy Queen (yes, they have DQ in Canada) and then started making our way back to the hotel.
I noticed a spot on the map where the concierge had circled. He said there was a little park there with some sort of display, but I couldn’t remember what, exactly. Something to do with fog? We stopped at the park and sat down to rest a few minutes. Sure enough, we started to see some fog coming up through the fountain. The boys took off their shoes and walked around in it until security came by and told them to get out because it was about to be lit up with fire. Coolest fountain ever!
After the fiery fountain, we limped a few more blocks back to the hotel. I don’t think any of us will have trouble sleeping tonight! We have all day to explore the city tomorrow, and I have a few ideas…
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