Montreal tour, Mount Royal Park and Redpath Museum

I slept well, got up early for a good breakfast but felt quite lethargic. There was no rush this morning though as the tour didn't start until 10am from the hostel and by then I was more ready to get going. The tour took in the old city and down to the port, areas I'd walked yesterday. Still it was informative with lots of detail about the history of Montreal and Quebec. At 2 hours it did feel a bit long though (I think we could have moved along quicker).

We finished at Notre-Dame Basilica and from there I walked to Victoria Square and worked my way towards McGill University. I actually ended up back outside the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts which I reached yesterday although by a somewhat different route. I went up hill towards "The Mountain" reaching Mount Royal Park via a climb up many, many steps. It was sunny with a chill in the air but once I was walking I got quite warm and took my jacket off as I made my way up to the park. The views over the city from the Kondiaronk scenic lookout were wonderful and I was surprised it hadn't taken longer to get to. There were lots of trails around the park which weren't that well marked but I did manage to find the Mount Royal Cross. You can see it from across the city but with the trees in the park it was well hidden. The tour guide described it as looking like something from Las Vegas and having seen it up close I tend to agree. It was an achievement to get up close to it though.

I made my way back to the lookout and then down to McGill University to have a look around their Redpath Museum which featured various fossils, minerals, zoological specimins and items focused on World cultures. It was pretty neat and I'm sure I learnt a few things during my visit. From there I made my way back to the hostel although I certainly didn't walk the quick route. I had a coffee then went out to the supermarket and came back to cook.

They've got a band playing in the bar tonight but not until later. I'm actually quite tired so am not sure how long I'll last. I definitely covered more ground today than I at first thought and my legs are feeling it. I think I'll be venturing onto the subway over the weekend as it'll allow me to reach a wider area and there are some places I want to visit which seem a fair distance from here.

Notre-Dame Basilica

Panoramic view of Montreal from Kondiaronk scenic lookout

Mount Royal Cross

 

Arrival in Montreal

I was up early this morning to finalise my packing and then for Angela to take me to the bus station in Ottawa. My bus boarded early, left on time at 10am and was fairly empty so I had room to spread out. I slept for the first part of the journey then read the rest of the way. I arrived in Montreal just after midday and was at my hostel soon after as it's located very close to the bus station. The hostel here is very nice with all the usual facilities but in addition an en suite bathroom between four of us, a fridge in the room and a huge bar in the basement with things going on most nights. After I'd checked in I sat for a while and ate the lunch Angela had packed for me whilst checking the map of Montreal I'd been given.

By 2pm I was out and about. The hostel is very close to Downtown and I seemed to be walking along one of the main shopping streets. I found the main tourist information centre and picked up a second map and very useful tourist guide booklet. I walked as far west as The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts then headed south towards Dorchester Square and went inside the amazing Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. It's apparently modelled on Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. I was in there for some time looking at the architecture and decoration. From there I walked through Victoria Square to the Old Port starting down by the Lachine Canal then walking alongside the St Lawrence River. I walked up Jacques Cartier Quay and along to Clock Tower Quay. From there I doubled back and went along the promenade then into Old Montreal and up to the City Hall. I snaked my way from there back to the hostel and was out for nearly 4 hours. It's been sunny yet brisk so I wore a jacket but at times got quite warm.

I've been out to the nearby supermarket and brought something to cook which I've already had. It feels odd to be hearing/speaking French and some parts of the city are very European in their style. I guess I'll get used to it as I'm in Quebec province for the next week. I plan to relax for the rest of the evening and maybe I'll do some reading. One of the hostel's free tours runs tomorrow morning and I'm keen to take that to discover more about the city before I strike out by myself again.

M Hostel, Montreal

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral

View of Montreal from Clock Tower Quay

 

Hog's Back Park and the Central Experimental Farm

My final day in Ottawa started at the same unhurried pace as the other days here. When Angela and I were ready we drove to Hog's Back Park to check out the Falls. It took a while to get there as once again construction was playing havoc with the traffic. The water races through the dam and down the Falls from the very placid Rideau River. It's neat to just stand and watch for a while. From there we drove around to the Central Experimental Farm and spent a fair amount of time walking around their Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens. The gardens were really bright and vibrant and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. From there we went to nearby Little Italy to The Prescott for lunch, apparently the place to eat there.

We headed back to the apartment in the early afternoon. I did more laundry so all my clothes are clean as I prepare to move on. We played another game of Scrabble in which I was lucky to have nearly all the big scoring letters at the right time and my best scoring turn, 81 points gave me the win. Jeff and Kate dropped over briefly just before we had supper and it was good to see them again before I leave.

My bus tomorrow leaves at 10am and should get to Montreal about 12.30pm Hopefully I'll be able to check into my hostel early so I can get out and about exploring in the afternoon. There does seem plenty to see and do and the hostel even runs their own tours, a good way to get to know the city.

Hog's Back Falls

Panoramic view of the Rideau River and Mooney's Bay Park

Ornamental Gardens

 

Walk to Dows Lake and Football

The day started very leisurely. I sat and read for a while at the apartment. Late in the morning we went out to Billings Bridge shopping centre and went in a few stores then Angela headed off for a meeting and I walked off and out into the sun. It was a lovely day for walking, bright but on the cool side with a bit of a breeze. I walked along the side of the Rideau River, crossed over and went through Brewer Park and up to Dows Lake. The area around the lake is lovely. The gardens and parks are immaculately kept and very pretty. I stopped briefly at the lake before walking towards and then along the Rideau Canal to Bank Street. I walked for just over an hour and a half and covered a lot of ground.

I located The Georgetown Sports Pub in the Old Ottawa South area where I went to watch the Arsenal Champions League game. As it was the middle of the afternoon it wasn't very busy but there were a few Liverpool fans watching their game and I sat on the other side of the bar with a couple of Arsenal fans. We played very poorly losing 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund. It was a really disappointing performance but at least I had people to chat with about how bad we were.

I wandered across the road and a bus soon turned up headed south. I had to change to another bus and that one went all over the place but did eventually stop very close to the apartment. I think the journey took about an hour door to door. I ate supper with Angela and have just been relaxing this evening. 

It's almost the end of my time here in Ottawa. I've started to look at my next hostel and what there is to do there and in the city but must do more tonight/tomorrow so I'm properly prepared when I hit the road.

Panoramic view of Dows Lake

 

The Man With Two Hats statue

Parliament tour and Byward Market

It was a sluggish start to the day. I ended up doing more on my tablet than planned last night so didn't go to sleep early enough and was hence tired this morning. We headed out mid morning and went to Parliament for the tour we couldn't do on Friday. It was the first day back after the summer break for Parliament and the whole area was noticeably busier. We ended up going on the tour in French as we would have had to wait some time for the next tour in English. It really brought to my attention just how bi-lingual this part of the country is with Quebec just across the river and I'll have to get used to it and dust off my GCSE French for when I move provinces. I only caught the occasional word here and there and asked Angela to summarise what had been said. It is a fantastic building and the guide drew our attention to the many comparisons with the Houses of Parliament in Westminster which were very clear. We didn't get to see inside the House of Commons on the tour. We could have gone to the public gallery after but that would have meant going through airport style security for the second time, a bit too much for me.

From there we walked through the lobby of the Chateau Laurier hotel to Byward Market and had a proper wander around having previously touched on the area just briefly. As we walked to the market we were passed by the Prime Minister in his car going towards Parliament. There was a stall selling various items made from records which gave me some crafting ideas. We went in a few stores and I was tempted to get some new trainers but think I'll wait for those until I'm in Toronto, just before I fly back to the UK. We went into the Rideau Centre where the car was parked and grabbed something to eat then drove back to the apartment with a short stop at the Museum of Nature simply to look at the outside of the building which is styled like a castle. The museum was closed as usual on a Monday but they did have the Governor General there although no real security presence. We spotted his car outside but didn't know who exactly was visiting until we asked a staff member.

At the apartment we had tea, played another game of Scrabble which I was lucky to win and then I used Angela's laptop and printed off all my travel tickets for my various bus, train and plane journeys. It does feel good to have (almost) everything organised so I'll be ready to roll out on Thursday.

 

Senate Chamber

 

Lazy Sunday

We've had a restful Sunday. I was tired having been up late last night planning and booking the rest of my trip. Thankfully it's all done now but it did take some time checking the availability of hostels and transport to and from one place to the next.

I still woke up early but stayed in bed until a bit later and when I did get up and was ready Angela made us pancakes, bacon and eggs. I pottered around this morning, we walked to the nearby shops to grab some groceries, had a snack and played a game of Scrabble. I was poor and the awful letter selection I had throughout the game didn't help. Afterwards I managed to catch up with Mum on Skype for a nice chat which was very good.

This evening we've been over to Kate's house for a fantastic roast dinner with her, Adam and his girlfriend, Chelsea. I watched one of the day's NFL games with Adam and it was good to hang out with him some more.

I'm already sat in bed. I've got a few things to do before my head hits the pillow but plan to go to sleep soon so as to ensure I feel fully rested by the morning.

Football and Ice Hockey

I was awake very early to watch the Arsenal match. Thankfully I didn't have to even get out of bed as I was able to stream it on Angela's laptop. The stream did go down at one point meaning I missed our second goal bit otherwise it worked ok. Disappointing for us not to get the win after a great fightback with the game ending Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City.

By the time the game had finished and I'd had breakfast and showered it was nearly time to head out. It was pouring with rain as we went to Osgoode to watch Michael, one of Sarah's sons playing ice hockey. It was very good to watch. At his age, 12 there's no body checking allowed but it still looks quite physical and the kids are all amazing skaters. The different ages ranges had the rink all day for practice games and scrimmages so as soon as Michael's team were done on the ice there were more skaters out there, albeit older and a fair bit bigger.

I drove with Sarah to pick up her other son, Colin from work and she then dropped me at Kate's. I caught the end of the day's late football kick off and had something to eat there. Angela and I then moved just around the corner to Sarah's house to hang out there and join that part of the family for dinner. I think I've eaten better here than at any other point on my trip and I've had to do no shopping or cooking.

We didn't leave Sarah's until about 7pm and it had thankfully stopped raining in the late afternoon. I had a play around with some photos on my tablet and plan to get ready for bed early so I can get down to some more detailed planning and maybe book some onward travel and places to stay before I go to bed. I don't think the volunteering is going to work out. It's so difficult to coordinate and a lot of the places I received positive responses back from here are actually very tricky to get to without a car. I guess I'll have to continue just being a tourist for the rest of my trip.

Michael on the ice

Ice Hockey action

Ice Hockey action

 

Peace Tower and Royal Canadian Mint

Sarah, one of my other cousin's came to take us out today. I'd not seen her for many years. I'm slowly ticking off seeing all my Canadian relatives and by the end of my trip there will only be a few I've not caught up with. When she arrived it was noticeably much colder, down to single digits in celsius, quite a change from what I've been used to on this trip.

We headed into the city aiming to take a tour of the Parliament Buildings. Unfortunately it took an age to find parking. Street spots were limited to an hour and the multistorey car parks were full plus we hit a lot of the construction around that area. We could get on a tour but not within the time frame we had so instead just went up to the top of the Peace Tower from which we had wonderful views across the city. We were able to step into the Memorial Chamber inside the tower on a lower floor once they had completed the 11am page turning ceremony, a very respectful way to ensure all the names of the Canadian war dead are seen as time passes.

We walked over to the Royal Canadian Mint where we had tickets booked for an 11.30am tour. They don't actually make regular currency there anymore instead concentrating on commemorative and investment coins. It was neat to see the processes which go into making these as well as to hear some of the staggering values of the materials and coins themselves. They even had the moulds on show from a one million dollar coin they had produced and medals from the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

When we were done there we headed back towards Angela's apartment via the university where I met Emily, Sarah's daughter (I think that makes her my first cousin once removed) and to the supermarket. I sat online this afternoon first looking a little more at options for the rest of my trip and then sorting my email inbox which had somehow got all out of order with many of my messages in the spam folder. Most frustrating and it wasn't something I could fix quickly but I knew it needed doing.
 

My cousin Kate and her partner Jeff came over for dinner this evening. It was great to spend time with them. As Kate said we've probably seen more of each other over the last few days than we have in the last 30 years.

View of Ottawa River from the Peace Tower

With a solid gold bar, Royal Canadian Mint

With Emily

 

Walking Bank Street and the Rideau Canal

I've done a lot of walking. The forecast rain came over night and when I got up it was just drizzling. It was very windy and pretty dull, more like a September day back home. I went for a short walk in the area around Angela's apartment and nearly got taken out by bins flying down the street the wind was so strong. I wanted to get a coffee at the nearby shops mainly to get some change but when I got there found all the power was out. It had just come back on when I returned to the apartment but appeared to be off in isolated spots all over the place.

Kate came by and drove us to the city dropping me off whilst she went to an appointment with Angela. I started by walking up Bank Street and got some lunch once I finally decided what I wanted to eat. The Glebe area of Bank Street is nearly all small, unique stores and I did pop into a couple and did lots of window shopping.

I left the main road walking east over to the Rideau Canal and down the Queen Elizabeth Driveway. It is very pretty albeit with a busy road alongside. I got down to Lansdowne Park and the new TD Place stadium but had to stick to the main road as the park was inaccessible because of ongoing construction. I walked back around to Bank Street and retraced my steps but went further up and into the Centretown area where the stores change a little but are generally still of the small, individual variety.

I worked out, primarily by looking at bus stop maps that I could get one bus from a few blocks further up which would bring me back close to the apartment. Thankfully it arrived just as I got to the stop. It did take a funny route using the purpose built Transitway but that meant we skipped past nearly all the traffic. I did have a bit further than expected to walk at this end of my journey but did get to see the huge volume of new housing being built on the development which is a lot bigger than I had realised.

When I got back it was almost supper time. I've eaten and am sat resting my legs now. No plans to venture anywhere this evening plus we have an early start in the morning to get to a couple more of the Ottawa sights.

Canada Aviation and Space Museum



Today was again taken at a leisurely pace. We walked a fair amount yesterday so did a bit less today driving up into central Ottawa then out along Rockcliffe Parkway high above the Ottawa River to Rockcliffe Airport and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. They really packed in a whole variety of planes flown throughout Canada since the earliest days of flight. There were lots of Canadian made planes but also foreign planes and helicopters flown by either their air force or civil operators. We spent a full 2 hours looking around and didn't even touch on the space section. It was particularly great to see some of the World War II planes up close.

We drove back along the Parkway to an overlook with a great view to Gatineau and the Province of Quebec then drove along the Parkway, past Parliament Hill and crossed over into Hull, Quebec. We were looking to get down to one of the parks by the river but there didn't seem to be any road turnings so instead headed back across the river and to Dows Lake. We had a late lunch in a bar overlooking the lake then headed on to grab some shopping and pick up Kate from work. The traffic was horrendous and I don't think I've ever been to a city before where so much construction work is going on at the same time.

We've not done a lot this evening. I did get my laundry done which was much needed and need to work out what I want to do tomorrow. It's forecast to rain overnight/in the morning and Angela has an appointment early in the afternoon so depending on the weather I may strike out by myself by bus or on foot to explore the city some more.

Lancaster Bomber, Canada Aviation and Space Museum

View to Gatineau from Rockcliffe Parkway