Eastern Canada - Bits and Pieces                                                    June 28, 2002

We're whiling away this summer driving our newish, boring-white, Toyota Camry west across Canada, with an excursion into the U.S. upper mid-west to visit friends and family.  

Zig-zagging north from Burlington, Vermont (thanks, Mark and Diane) we crossed the Canadian border and eventually found our one-week "quick-escape" time-share resort in the Laurentian Mountains, about 50 miles due north of Montreal city.  Our rental was a "studio".  Getting to the bedroom however necessitated climbing up a narrow winding staircase -- even more difficult was climbing back down to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  The resort was simple and modest, but early June was still cool and rainy, so we spent a few days catching up on paperwork and cleaning up files.  On the nicer days, we discovered the quaint and wonderfully French small towns of the area (this photo --> was taken in St. Adele), played some golf, and explored Montreal City and the nearby mountains.

Heading west, I found a good deal on expedia.com at the historic Fairmont hotel in Ottawa.  The room was not their nicest, but it did have two bathrooms.  It also met the bathrobe test and had a large TV for watching the U.S. Open -- Go Tiger!  Go Phil!  Then on to Toronto for a few days.

Sometimes, being in a place rings bells.  I woke up in the middle of the night in Toronto and for some reason recalled that I had a cousin in Canada, one I had never met.  After a few phone calls, I discovered that my father's sister (they'd been estranged all my life) was still alive and well at age 96.  I got to meet her for the first time (she's still lucid and charming) and found my long-lost cousin Harry, a psychiatrist with five grown children.  With so little family, I was thrilled to find them, though it was a teary time for me, talking about my dad and wishing I'd had these relatives in my life sooner.  One downside: I always believed I was the first member of my family to get an advanced degree.  Not any more, Harry, who's a doctor, beat me out by a decade!

In less than a month, we only saw a bit of Eastern Canada.  Here are some highlights:

Montreal -- Getting through this city's traffic is difficult (we took the subway from the outskirts), but if you get down to Montreal's Waterfront, it's a terrific place for a stroll.  Cirque du Soleil, Varekai, is playing on the pier this summer.  We stoodby  for over an hour in unseasonable heat for same-day matinee tickets and were rewarded with great seats next to the VIP section.  Although the first time you see one of these unique circus shows is often the best (you don't know what to expect yet), subsequent visits can still give you tingles.  Afterwards, dinner at one of the hundreds of places a punched 6-iron away is an attractive option.  Despite the favorable exchange rate for US dollars, Canadian restaurant prices are sneaky-high.  Provincial and federal taxes add 15% to most purchases.  Couple that with a 15 - 20% tip and you're looking at a bill that may be out of line with your guesstimate based on the menu prices.

Montreal has something for those of you who can't get their fill of Nativity scenes.  The Oratory, a stunningly modern cathedral  overlooking Montreal, has a beautiful organ and a museum housing an remarkable collection of crèches -- sized from miniature to real-life, from countries and cultures the world over.  Interestingly, many countries depict Jesus as a native son.  And of course they call him Jesus, or Hey-soos or something similar that works in their language.  What I want to know is: What did his parents call him?  How did Jesus pronounce his Hebrew name?  Anyone out there know? 

Mont Tremblant --  This very upscale Laurentian ski resort (lot's of famous-name hotels) is quiet in the summer.  It overlooks a  lovely lake, has several golf courses nearby, and borders a National Park.  The park has scenic mountains, campgrounds galore, loads of lakes for swimming or water sports (<-- check out the waiting rental canoes that look like huge toes) and the most vicious mosquitoes I've ever encountered.  Bites bled, staining my clothes, and then welled up into bumps that lasted -- and itched -- for days!  You can bet I'm not putting this area on my list of recommended summer vacation spots, unless you're among the lucky few who aren't skeeter attractants.

Ottawa --  This is Canada's capital city, the choice was made by Queen Victoria over a hundred years ago.  Ottawa is home to the national Parliament with its House of Commons and House of Lords, the governmental library, etc.  The Parliament tour is free and informative, and unlike the US version, there was no wait.

Ottawa is a compact city with many of its attractions within easy walking distance.  The Fairmont is a block from Parliament and the National Photography Museum, which was small enough to be closed while one exhibit replaced another.  A few blocks away are the tourist shopping and food markets and the National Art Gallery of Canada, an impressive soaring glass building with great artwork.  There's currently a Tom Thompson painting exhibit on display.  He's perhaps Canada's most famous painter, an impressionist who took the pristine Canadian landscape (autumn trees, wind-blown evergreens, clear lakes and rivers,  expansive skies, layers of snow) for his inspiration.  Cool!

Toronto -- Our stay in downtown Toronto was the highlight of our Canadian visit.  We walked through funky neighborhoods, enjoyed the beautiful, modern skyscrapers, and found plenty of shopping and food choices including our first-ever Ethiopian restaurant.

The best city views are from the Canada National (CN) Tower, the world's tallest building.  It was wonderfully clear the day we ascended (though it got hotter and smoggier later in the week).  With such a glorious day, we decided to eat in the revolving restaurant at the top, which (unlike the viewing platform) is relaxingly quiet.  The panoramas of the city, Lake Ontario, and the nearby islands were definitely worth the price (quaintly referred to as the "elevation charge").  The food was even OK.  These side-by-side photos match up a view of the tower from the street below with a view from above down to the same spot (at center of photo, marked with a red X). 

Toronto theater is currently in a rut, but you can't go wrong with the two choices: Mama Mia and The Lion King, which have both been there a long time.  We got tickets for the former, and can now agree with many of you -- if you like Abba music, you'll definitely enjoy Mama Mia (and the audience exuberance.)  

It's now time to head south a ways, spend a couple of days at Niagara Falls and then get back into our "visiting" mode.  Doug, Astrid, Elly, Judy, Al and Marge -- here we come!

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