Canada Vacation '18: Montreal

It was a gamble - a roll of the dice. We had no idea what the temperature in Canada would be in July. We assumed it would be colder than in Iowa, but when we got to Montreal we discovered we were wrong. The highs were 89 and 91, and it was humid.

The apartment I booked had two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a washer and dryer. Located in a quiet neighborhood, the apartment was a five-minute walk to the subway, so in a way, it was close to everything. For $80 dollars a night, it was a steal. It also didn't have air conditioning.

There was a ceiling fan in the living room, and the owner had provided two oscillating fans, but oh, man... I was miserable. It rained around midnight on our second night, and that cooled things off for about 30 minutes. When the rain stopped, the humidity kicked in with a vengeance. I doubt I slept two hours that night.

Now please note, Daphne toughed it out and didn't complain. I was one the who said I was miserable, but Charlotte wasn't. She was so excited that she had her own room, she didn't care about the heat at all. She also quickly figured out how to work the TV, and she was in heaven watching YouTube videos on the big screen.

This doesn't mean we didn't enjoy Montreal. I just didn't enjoy our time at "home". 

There were more bikes to admire. For example, this is such a cool bike for a parent. Look how your kid can have their own seat, foot rest, and set of handlebars - all while they are protected between your legs. Genius! This makes me want to have another baby so I'll have a reason to buy a bike like this!

Another city, another market, I like this trend.

Char liked the mango, even if she had to bite through the skin.

We bought some beignes here. I took this bland picture because I wanted to remember something I heard here.

The man making the beignes was taking to Daphne about learning English as a second language. Charlotte told him that she couldn't ever learn to speak French. 

He replied, "Of course you can! All you need to do is practice. That's all there is. If you want to learn something, you only have to practice that thing over and over to learn it. With practice, everything in the world can be yours!"

That's really, really, good advice.

Montreal is known for its smoked meat, so Daphne and shared a smoked meat sandwich for lunch.

Playing finger hockey in Old Montreal.

If you are curious, PFK stands for Poulet Frit Kentucky.

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to find a unique souvenir at a thrift store. Montreal was the only city that had a thrift store within walking distance of our rental. I had high hopes for this Salvation Army store. Oops, I mean, Aemee Du Salut store.

I had expected to find a cool t-shirt, but that didn't happen. After 30 minutes of shopping I ended up buying this tacky bottle opener for 70 cents. At least I knew it would fit in my backpack. (I think it's from a hotel in New Jersey.)

Ummm, "Ice Rink Ahead"?

After the thrift store we stopped by a brewery that Daphne had read about. I want to note that we weren't in a trendy or touristy neighborhood. We were just in a neighborhood. The brewery was filled with local people who were nice to us and went on their own way. Daphne just sat there smiling and looking so relaxed. 

After awhile, we hit the restaurant across the street. Mexican food in Canada? Heck yes!

Char picked out a Weird, but True at the thrift store to buy, and she was perfectly happy to sit and read by herself while we ordered dinner. Can you spot her?

Dinner was great, by the way. Mexican food - it's great anywhere you go. 

While we were walking "home" Daphne squeezed my hand, pulled me towards her and said, "I loved that!" 

Despite the heat, Montreal was a good time.