MONTREAL

We arrived in Montreal on Monday afternoon and immediately realized that our planned 3 night stay would not be enough to fully enjoy this European style city. In our extended five day stay we have walked until we couldn’t take another step and have not scratched the surface of the various neighborhoods and events. Loopers Doug and Dana on Tumbleweed invited us to join them on a private walking tour of Old Town which not only gave us insight into the history and architecture of the city, but also came with French lessons! Provisioning at the Jean Talon Market was a sensory delight. We have taken the opportunity to dine in many fine restaurants including our favorite from a past trip to Montreal, L’orignal. Since Cirque du Soleil originated in Montreal, we felt that we would be remiss if we did not attend the performance of Kooza, which was delightful. The 20 story, La Grande Roue (ferris wheel) beckons, but Lyn has yet to overcome her fear of heights. Perhaps today will be the day!

Today, July 1, is Canada Day which was originally known as Dominion Day, to celebrate the confederation of three separate British colonies (United Canadas, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) into one British dominion. Upon gaining complete sovereignty from Britain in 1982, the name of the national holiday was changed to Canada Day. We have front row seats to the fireworks to be held on the river this evening! Congratulations Canada!