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| Toronto Skyline viewed from the islands |
After several days out in the wilderness of the Maritimes, it was high time for a whistle stop tour of the big cities of Quebec and Ontario. Montreal and Toronto were givens, but we had heard little about Quebec City and Ottawa and were pleasantly surprised by how worthwhile it was to stop off there for a night or two.
Quebec City will always be fond to me: it's only the second time I've beaten Callum in an "athletic" pursuit. It's also home to the Chateau Fairmont, proclaimed the most photographed hotel in the world. It is worthy of many a photo, and Callum obliged willingly, but how they work that out I'll never know. Other highlights were walking the city fortifications (Quebec City being the only walled city in Canada) and through the streets of upper and lower old town. Oh, and MacFly's, where for the price of a pint, you can whoop your boyfriend's arse at pinball. Who knew I was so good? Or just better than him at least!
The Chateau Fairmont
Somehow, we managed to get lost in a city park in Montreal. Mont Royal boasts panoramic city views from Kondiaronk Lookout and it's almost compulsory to head up there at twilight armed with a bottle of red. The thing about street drinking in Montreal is, as long as you have some form of food with you, whether it's a gourmet hamper or a packet of chips, it's considered a picnic. We went somewhere in the middle, and along with our friend Jana (who is from Luxembourg, we met back in Chile, travelled with a bit in Brazil, and who generously put us up in her new hometown of Montreal), had a lovely evening watching the sun go down. We soon learnt that Mont Royal is not well-lit in the dark and spent a while trekking down through the woods with only Callum's red camera light to guide us. Needless to say we earned our pint at the brewpub we went to afterwards.
A bottle of red, some snacks and a pretty decent view
Montreal is also home to Schwartz's. If you like meat, you'll like Schwartz's. Callum had the famous smoked meat sandwich and I sampled the smoked meat poutine. Delicious. Other worthwhile sights were St Joseph's Oratory (stumbled upon at 1am on our way home from the pub, and revisited the next day to get the full night to day experience Callum seems to have developed a need for - but for this place, it was worth it!), the site of the 1976 Montreal Olympics (where Callum, knowing his place in the world, was pleased to come away with a bronze medal. In what I don't know), wandering around Old Town and the waterfront, and a subway ride out to Parc Jean-Drapeau.
St Joseph's Oratory
Callum winning at life...well coming third! And welcome to Schwartz's
Ottawa was just an overnight stop but we were glad we made it. More day to night photography! Parliament Hill could almost be mistaken for two different buildings if not for the iconic Peace Tower giving it away. I say this because the back view from Nepean Point and the front view from, well in front, are very different but equally impressive. The Ottawa locks and the Rideau Canal, along which people can ice skate to work in the wintertime, are also worth seeing.
Parliament Hill
Since leaving Toronto, there seems to be a regular echo of "So many good photos!" from Callum who was in his element when we caught the ferry over to the Toronto Islands and watched the sun set over the city skyline. We also enjoyed the walk up to and view from Casa Loma. The city was abuzz with the Bluejays progressing further into the MBL post-season, and Callum regaled me with a blow by blow description of the Game 3 sweep of the Texans. I'm a lucky girl. He was, after all, trying to get his fill before the inevitable sports drought that would occur in Cuba!
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