mybigadventures.com

We got up a little later than usual today - I think the warm weather is wearing us out! So we decided to get brunch instead of breakfast. We went to a relatively nearby restaurant, famed for it's brunches - 'Eggspectations'. I had the 'All American' breakfast (a variation on an English breakfast) and Dani had pancakes, with bacon and eggs. From there, we were heading through the city towards la Fontain park and le Mont Royal today. The journey there was also going to take us through an area of interest marked out on our map, so we decided to walk. After breakfast we made our away across town towards the parks. once in the area we took a walk down Deluth Avenue which is much quieter and partially pedestrianised. There were lots of Grafitti murals covering the walls throughout the area, including some huge pieces that covered the sides of large buildings. 

At the end of Deluth avenue we reached La Fontain Park. We had a walk around the park stopping to take some photos of the dragonflies that were darting about around the edge of the lake. We sat for a while on some benches and then after a bit more of a wander, we decided to head for Mont Royal. We walked along Rue Rachel, stopping off to buy some more water before heading into the park. It turned out to be a bit of a climb, more than we had anticipated given we were already feeling tired but we percevered following signs for a suspended cafe. The cafe wasn't quite what we antipated, but neverthless it was at a nice viewing point down acorss Montreal, and we were able to get some cold lemonade to drink. Whilst we were sitting we noticed a bit of a fuss just down from the cafe, and after a quick look we saw a family of racoons. I was a bit late getting there with the camera but I did manage to get a couple before they disappeared back into the woods.

After the cafe, we walked up the hill a little further to the giant cross that sits at the top, and then we headed back down and walked back to the hotel. We were feeling pretty knackered by the time we got back having covered quite a distance. We had a rest for a bit before going out for tea a bit later on. We decided to go to a place we had walked past yesterday - Brit and Chips. It ended up being just what we needed after a long day, the restaurant is set up inside just like a normal chip shop with some tables around to sit at. It would be fair to say, that the fish and chips is amongst the best we've had. They do a range of different fish and chip meals, and whilst I went for a pretty standard code and chips, Dani had a Haddock in a maple syrup batter! Back at the hotel, I uploaded a few more photos and updated the website. It's our last day in Montreal tomorrow!

We decided to spend the day exploring a bit more of Quebec today. We were up quite a bit later so grabbed some lunch at Subway which is just around the corner, and then headed into the old town. We started up hill, and found some steps that take you up a bit quicker and after a few more steps we found ourselves on the Terrasse Dufferin which is a wooden boardwalk that wraps around the Château Frontenac which is a grand 19th century hotel. We spent quite a bit of time walking along the boardwalk, stopping on benches intermittently and taking photos of the hotel and view across the Lawrence river. The boardwalk continues quite a way beyond the city walls, eventually becoming steps that lead up to the citadelle at the very top of the hill. 

We walked all the way to the top taking in the views back across the city and the surrounding areas. We had an ice-cream, that quickly melted (halfway down my arm) so I ate it in record time before it made too much of a mess. We continued on, reaching the citadelle, which is still an active military base and home to the 22nd Regitment and official residence of the Givenor General and should she wish to use it, the Queen. You can get tickets to tour inside the residency or around the military base, with either giving you access to the museum. We opted for the tour of the base, and were taking around by Anthony who as it turned out was a teacher on his school holidays. He was really knowlegable and gave us a brief history of the regiment and took us around many of the key buildings - stopping in the shade where posible as it was really hot. One of the stops on the tour was the Kings Bastion which offers some of the best views across Quebec and a great place for photos.

After the tour, we had a walk through the museum which had some really intesting exhibits including a medals room with several examples of the Victoria Cross awarded to members of the 22nd Regiment. Finally leaving the citadelle, we headed back down the hill into the old town, stopping back at the hotel before heading out for tea. We decided to try the hotel restaurant (restaurant Louise) for tea. I had fish and chips, whilst Dani had sausage and black pudding, again very nice. We finished the evening back up on the Terrasse Dufferin, taking a few night photos before calling it a night.

An interesting day so far! Woke up early, but lazed.. Ben went down to Starbucks to get tea and we drank it with our leftover muffins from yesterday - a very tasty start to the day. We were picking up our hire car at around/after 10 AM, so we moseyed down at around 10:45 AM, heading towards Union Square.

When we arrived at ‘Dollar’ (the hire place) there seem to be a sizeable queue, so we went on, nipping into Macy’s to use the restrooms. Got back to the queue at about 11:50 AM and got in line, standing outside - it was quite cold! An hour later, we had made a bit of progress - a couple of metres. Rumours were rife - people had been there for three hours… And it sounded like there was a wait to actually get the car too…

Two and a half hours later - we were served! Incredible! In answer to the “and how are you today?” question, a rather curt, “ I don’t think you want an honest answer to that”, put an end to the small talk. It took about 5 minutes to actually get the paperwork sorted, which makes it staggering that we waited so long. It cost a further $70, as we needed to increase the breakdown insurance to cover towing away and replacement.

Left the place rather dazed, having lost a good chunk of the day to a queue. Decided not to get the car immediately as we hadn’t had any lunch. Went to Subway to pick up a sandwich to take with us - though where we are actually going was yet to be decided as the day has drifted away! Popped into a T Mobile shop to enquire about an American Sim card, but no joy. So, headed to get the car. They couldn’t find the key for the designated car, so we think we got an upgrade. Anyway it’s a Chevrolet Sprint - a big saloon (quite dwarves our KA!). Had a quick lesson in automatics from one of the managers and then set off.

Headed south, vaguely towards Santa Cruz, but stopped off in Palo Alto, home to Silicon Valley (Google, etc). Pulled over for a break and decided to wander. And we were glad we did! A really pretty little place - very leafy and lots of little restaurants. We fell into The Cheesecake Factory, and decided to order dessert, by way of dinner. I had the plain cheesecake with some strawberries, and Ben had chocolate cheesecake. We both got most of the way through, but took a doggy bag home. So full!

On the way back to San Francisco, we passed by Google International and the place where we think Facebook is, though it wasn’t marked, so we stopped for a photo opp. We tried to have a look at Microsoft, but got entangled in some concert parking.

Had a very good journey back and Ben negotiated the traffic and the car beautifully! We parked in a LAZ car park we had spotted before, a couple of blocks from the hotel, which was much more reasonable than the hotel parking ($45) as it only charged $25 overnight. Got a bit lost coming out of the car park, but made it. Dumped stuff at the hotel, and then headed out to Chinatown to see the lights. A little disappointed, however, as it wasn’t as bustling and well-lit as we thought. Took some photos and then walked back - up all the hills of California Street! Ordered a pizza from the village pizzeria again and scoffed at about 11 PM.