We all slept in a bit after the big concert last night. It was almost 10am by the time we went downstairs for breakfast. Good thing there is a coffee pot in the room! Afterwards, I visited the concierge and got some recommendations for sightseeing around the city and then we headed out.
We started by heading across the nearby park and then down a very narrow street lined on both sides with local artwork for sale. Some of them were quite nice, but we didn’t buy anything since we didn’t want to carry it around all day. Maybe later. We stopped into the Notre Dame cathedral for a few minutes. Next, we strolled through the Latin quarter (which didn’t seem particularly Latin to me) and ended up near the city wall. We followed the wall for a few blocks until the end. Then we were outside the wall, heading downhill to the old town and riverfront below.
Our first stop on the river was the farmer’s market. I thought it might be fun to visit with the kids, but it was too hot & too crowded. We didn’t stay long. Next, we walked next door to a large carnival-type festival set up in the park. There was a stage show, a moon-bounce, mini-train rides, and lots of other stuff going on. We stayed a while and let the kids play, then it was time to move on.
We were going to pop in and see the Titanic exhibit next door, but we realized that we had already seen the same thing (it’s a traveling exhibition) in Halifax last year, so we skipped it. Instead, we headed away from the water 1 block and walked down St. Paul street. Roland & Sandy enjoyed checking out the many antique stores while the boys and I moved from bench to bench.
Next, we ended up near a fountain where we let the kids play and splash a little bit. It was almost 1pm and the kids were getting pretty hungry since they didn’t enjoy the breakfast buffet very much at the hotel. We stopped into a Subway restaurant and grabbed a quick bite.
After lunch, the kids were recharged and we headed to the Museum of Civilization. They had several exhibits that were very interesting & hands-on for the kids. My favorite was “Riff”, a large section devoted to music of all kinds. They had a great audio-guide system that somehow knew where we were in the exhibit and would seamlessly change the soundtrack to match our position. Toward the end, there was a big theater with comfy chairs with concert videos of various artists such as Carlos Santana, Ray Charles, Beyonce, & more. The kids & I could have stayed there all afternoon, but there was lots more to see. Before leaving we also visited an area about volcanoes, earthquakes and other geological stuff and an exhibit on Egypt and mummies.
Sandy hasn’t been feeling well the past day or two and she scheduled an appointment with a doctor at the hotel @ 3:30, so she & Roland had to head back a little early. I thought the rest of us might go for a boat ride, but Michele & the kids were fading fast, so we decided to skip it and head back toward the hotel. It was only a few blocks to the funicular, which is a like a big elevator that runs up the side of the cliff, depositing us right in front of our hotel. Perfect!
Michele took Megan inside to rest while the boys & I stayed outside to watch one of the street performers juggle flaming torches and knives while lying on a bed of nails. The kids loved it! It kind of reminded me of Mallory Square in Key West. Lots of build up with little action.
After the show, we came back to the room for a quick power nap and then it was time to meet up for dinner. We walked a few blocks to a cozy pub where we enjoyed a good meal. The food was good, but the service was slow. It started raining while we were inside, so we were not in a big hurry to leave, anyway. The rain subsided by the time we left, so it worked out great.
On the way back to the hotel, the boys started playing in another fountain. We told them they could go ahead and get wet and they had the best time running & splashing all around. They were all totally soaked! Michele took them up to the room to shower & change while I took a walk down the boardwalk near our hotel to try to get a photo of the Chateau. I could hear another band playing the festival in the distance.
All-in-all, a great day. We are going to sleep in again tomorrow and then we’ll see what else we can get into.
We started by heading across the nearby park and then down a very narrow street lined on both sides with local artwork for sale. Some of them were quite nice, but we didn’t buy anything since we didn’t want to carry it around all day. Maybe later. We stopped into the Notre Dame cathedral for a few minutes. Next, we strolled through the Latin quarter (which didn’t seem particularly Latin to me) and ended up near the city wall. We followed the wall for a few blocks until the end. Then we were outside the wall, heading downhill to the old town and riverfront below.
Our first stop on the river was the farmer’s market. I thought it might be fun to visit with the kids, but it was too hot & too crowded. We didn’t stay long. Next, we walked next door to a large carnival-type festival set up in the park. There was a stage show, a moon-bounce, mini-train rides, and lots of other stuff going on. We stayed a while and let the kids play, then it was time to move on.
We were going to pop in and see the Titanic exhibit next door, but we realized that we had already seen the same thing (it’s a traveling exhibition) in Halifax last year, so we skipped it. Instead, we headed away from the water 1 block and walked down St. Paul street. Roland & Sandy enjoyed checking out the many antique stores while the boys and I moved from bench to bench.
Next, we ended up near a fountain where we let the kids play and splash a little bit. It was almost 1pm and the kids were getting pretty hungry since they didn’t enjoy the breakfast buffet very much at the hotel. We stopped into a Subway restaurant and grabbed a quick bite.
After lunch, the kids were recharged and we headed to the Museum of Civilization. They had several exhibits that were very interesting & hands-on for the kids. My favorite was “Riff”, a large section devoted to music of all kinds. They had a great audio-guide system that somehow knew where we were in the exhibit and would seamlessly change the soundtrack to match our position. Toward the end, there was a big theater with comfy chairs with concert videos of various artists such as Carlos Santana, Ray Charles, Beyonce, & more. The kids & I could have stayed there all afternoon, but there was lots more to see. Before leaving we also visited an area about volcanoes, earthquakes and other geological stuff and an exhibit on Egypt and mummies.
Sandy hasn’t been feeling well the past day or two and she scheduled an appointment with a doctor at the hotel @ 3:30, so she & Roland had to head back a little early. I thought the rest of us might go for a boat ride, but Michele & the kids were fading fast, so we decided to skip it and head back toward the hotel. It was only a few blocks to the funicular, which is a like a big elevator that runs up the side of the cliff, depositing us right in front of our hotel. Perfect!
Michele took Megan inside to rest while the boys & I stayed outside to watch one of the street performers juggle flaming torches and knives while lying on a bed of nails. The kids loved it! It kind of reminded me of Mallory Square in Key West. Lots of build up with little action.
After the show, we came back to the room for a quick power nap and then it was time to meet up for dinner. We walked a few blocks to a cozy pub where we enjoyed a good meal. The food was good, but the service was slow. It started raining while we were inside, so we were not in a big hurry to leave, anyway. The rain subsided by the time we left, so it worked out great.
On the way back to the hotel, the boys started playing in another fountain. We told them they could go ahead and get wet and they had the best time running & splashing all around. They were all totally soaked! Michele took them up to the room to shower & change while I took a walk down the boardwalk near our hotel to try to get a photo of the Chateau. I could hear another band playing the festival in the distance.
All-in-all, a great day. We are going to sleep in again tomorrow and then we’ll see what else we can get into.
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