October 31, time to go to Montreal!
After a fantastic time in Nova Scotia, including the wine-food festival (DEVOUR) in Wolfville and then a few days in Halifax, Pippi Longstocking and I traveled by train to Montreal.
So Pippi and I decided to go to the first passenger car on the train, the world-renowned DOME car. What a view! First the foliage trackside as we glide through Halifax, and then just outside Amherst, Nova Scotia, we note a new crop: wind! Pretty soon we will be in the province of New Brunswick.
In 21 hours and after 27 stops, “The Ocean” train will reach Montreal. In the meantime, I can view lots from the window in my sleeper cabin, and enjoy 3 meals en route. Don’t be envious, just do it — with the Canadian dollar now trading at 74 cents to the USD, this is an incredibly thrifty time to travel in Canada.
Pippi Longstocking is a bed hog. Last time I share a train cabin with her!
We passed by Moncton on our journey to Montreal. Those of us educated in USA schools don’t know much about the Acadians, although we may have read the poem about Evangeline by Longfellow. I’ve been learning about the history of the Acadians since I have been here in Canada’s Maritime provinces. Moncton, New Brunswick is the largest Acadian city and the cultural center for Acadians in Canada. Acadians were expelled from Canada in 1755 by the British, who were concerned about their loyalty to the Catholic church and the French. After the expulsion, colonists from America settled in Moncton and founded the city, which was a prosperous mid-19th century ship building center and benefited from being the terminus of the Intercolonial Railway. Today, French Maritimers make up 35% of Moncton’s population.
Happy Halloween from somewhere in Canada!
Good morning, Province of Quebec! How sad that The Ocean train hit one of your giant skunks around 4:20 a.m. But we passengers paid tribute to him via the odor in our cabins all night long! RIP
Now to explore Montreal, and meetup with a classmate from HBS ’76. And um, there is a bit more about food here…
View from the first floor cafe restaurant, Roselys, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, a Fairmont property located right on top of the main train station. Very convenient!
Even on a rainy day, the Old Town of Montreal is lovely. Someday I want to come back to the Old Port area, and ride this Ferris wheel. Some warm, non-humid sunny day...
FOOD PHOTOS ALERT! Dried beef jerky served on a miniature clothesline, and flat coins of baked goat cheese filled with bleu cheese in a lollipop formation. Those were the complimentary starters at Europea restaurant, where I lunched with Margaret Graham, HBS 1976. Meg went on to get her DBA and taught strategy and organization development for many years in McGill University here Montreal. Now mostly retired, Meg had time to join me for a leisurely lunch. This restaurant was recommended to me by foodies I met at DevourFest last week.
Now for some museum time!
The Museum d’Archaelogie et d’Historie at Pointe-a-Callière is a must see. Several wonderful exhibits, which I’ll share in subsequent posts, But right now I want to tell you how fun it is to walk in an old sewer under the city of Montreal. That is one of the museum’s features!
I enjoyed this “dig” wall at the Museum. First, have a good long look at the wall. Then, enlarge the photo with text on it to understand the layers of civilization you’re seeing here.
The “Pirates or Privateers” section of the museum is sure to delight kids of all ages. It delighted me! A full size replica of a pirate vessel has lots of stations to help both groups of schoolchildren and other museum goers 😊 1) turn the winch to raise the anchor 2) feel what it’s like to walk on a ship that’s rolling with the waves, and 3) understand what to put in your cannon to do what kind of damage. I didn’t know that a bar shaped like a dumbbell could bring down a mast, did you? (Enlarge to read).
After my visit to the Montreal’s archaeology and history museum, I have given up my dream of being a pirate. I like a comfy clean bed too much...
NEXT: This was my favorite carving during my visit to the Inuit art exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: “Shaman Transformation” created in 1971 from whale bone by Andrew Innuklun, who was born in Nunavut. The display was particularly good as you can see both the back of the raw whale bone material he used, and the front finished work as a reflection in the other side of the display case.
For those of you who want to learn more about Inuit art, here are two lovely pieces and descriptions of the art and the artist. (Enlarge the text to read)
AURA, a sound and light show inside the Basilica of Notre Dame, is a highlight evening tourist experience in Montreal. The incredible statuary of saints in the nave is illuminated during the show. The rose window on the ceiling is also beautiful and needs no enhancement.
A walk in downtown Montreal on this sunny Sunday: the old mansions (of which very few remain on Sherbrooke street), artistic moose street art, peeps at art outside art galleries, postal boxes, and last but not least a billboard for Tim Horton’s which is Canada’s answer to Dunkin’ Donuts.
Holly and Ted, Montreal-based foodies who also attended #DevourFest, recommended PROVISIONS restaurant, with maximum 30 seats, in the OutreMont neighborhood. You have a choice of a 5 or 7 course meal, but no idea of the dishes in advance. A board posts ingredients in the front of the restaurant but you can state your allergies or “I don’t eat these foods” and the chefs Pablo and Kim will modify for you. On Friday evening November 2, 2018: First course: fluke crudo with apples prepared several ways, pickled radishes, and an underlayment of sauce where the prime ingredient is beet purée. Second course: charred broccoli with buffalo mozzarella and pulled pork and roast pork too. Light oil dressing with maybe a bit of lemon in it? Third course: butternut squash and ricotta gnocchi, in an herbed butter sauce with sautéed mushrooms, sprinkled with Parmesan crumble for a bit of crunch/texture. Fourth course: roasted rockfish with Brussels sprouts, braised pears, braised sous vide bacon lightly whirred in a food processor, roasted Brussels sprouts salad, and finished with a pear vinegarette.(OMG I almost forgot to take that photo — and then there is the French Chardonnay from Bourgogne at work too...). Fifth course: crispy pot-roasted lamb, with ricotta and sliced roasted macadamia on a strip of sweet potato, in a light sweet potato sauce, garnished with a salad of chervil, dill and parsley leaf. I bet the deserts are wonderful but I’m sure you are not surprised that I passed... total for wine, dinner and tax: 100 Canadian = $76 USD. Service was so great I added a big tip! Reservations a must on weekends, via Resy.com.
Pippi Longstocking and I say goodbye to Montreal from our breakfast place on the 21st floor of Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth. And... the church bells tolled, as today is All Saints Day.\
What a great short vacation! Wasn't sure I could do it after being flattened by a stoned driver in a San Francisco crosswalk, but I modified my plans to travel more comfortably and give my back and shoulders more time to recover from the impact, and off I went. That's what travelers do...
