Started the day with a most excellent yoga class at 0715 - yes really, I know I'm on holiday and I know I don't have to go back to work until February, but the body clock is a powerful thing and am making the most of free facilities!
We headed off to picturesque Gloucester further north up the coast for our pm whale watch, which we'd booked on a Groupon for $55 for two of us instead of $48 each - worth bearing this in mind if you find yourselves across the pond, but the only problem is that you have to have a friend with a Canadian or US permanent address to book on Groupon.com as opposed to the UK site, so I reckon may be worth researching and then calling Groupon UK to find out if it can be booked somehow if you're stuck.
Anyhoo, it took about 45 minutes and when we got there we discovered that although it was a beautiful sunny day, the sea was too rough and the trip had been cancelled. I have to admit, to my embarrassment, to getting a little teary - I had so been looking forward to ticking this one off the bucket list after disappointments on previous New England visits in 1996 and 1998. We rebooked for the following day and headed straight back to Boston so that we could spend the whole afternoon and evening in the city as we'd planned to do the following day.
We followed the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red brick line in the middle of the pavement should you have a shit map like we did. We didn't take a close look at all the points on the trail, but it's a good way to get around part of the city and get your bearings. Word of warning that Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market are over-commercialised tourist traps - if you're hungry, the latter may offer respite but if you're not, walking through this mega food court can make you feel slightly nauseous at the quantity of comestibles on offer. We did see some great hip hop street dancers performing though. Today's ice cream - espresso from Giardinello's, and very good it was too.
Worth taking time out to see on Congress Street is the Holocaust memorial - I saw it when I visited in the 90s and it's still as moving. It's a series of glass towers, each of them marking one of the Nazi concentration camps, and each one etched with the millions of registration numbers given to the victims and which were tattoed on their arms. It may sound morbid but it's an amazingly respectful, dignified and thought-provoking monument to human suffering and a stark reminder that it must never, ever happen again.
http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/boston-holocaust-memorial.html
A last-minute decision at the end of the trail was to negotiate the very grubby subway system and go visit the Museum of Fine Arts on Huntingdon Avenue as it was open til late. It's quite marvellous - a fab Herb Ritts photography exhibition, lots of interesting contemporary art for me, and lots of Monet for Toni, as well as a well-above average gift shops within an amazing space - we only wish we'd thought about it earlier.
Treated ourselves to a cab back into the city, dinner at an Italian on the North Side (as you're pretty stuck if you want to eat anything else in the area!), and then we caught the free shuttle bus back to Charlestown - one of the other benefits of staying there. It's walkable too, but we were a bit too footsore and full of pasta...
Saturday, 18 July 2015
Friday, 17 July 2015
We were looking for a New England
Beautiful sunny day for the drive south to Boston. It was spoiled only by a lengthy wait at the border crossing - not only did we have to wait in a traffic line for an hour to get through a barrier, after that as "aliens" we had to have our photos and fingerprints taken and pay an additional $6 each. Be warned - if you obain an ESTA to go to the USA, it's only good for air travel, not for border crossing by car, so that was a waste of £15!
We just made a short stop at a roadside rest stop amid the beautiful trees and landscapes of Vermont, and arrived in Boston in the middle of rush hour. We only got lost once, and found the hotel in Charlestown, the old navy dockyard and near the USS Constitution, an area that's been redeveloped to a high standard big time. The hotel is actually the YMCA - but not as you might know it Jim. Big room, big beds (though not a luxury bathroom), with friendly people, thick towels (take note Travelodge), a great grocery and provisions shop round the corner, a cafteteria next door for breakfast and unlimited use of the gym. pool and exercise classes - woo hoo!
The weather was a bit drizzly, but we were directed to a lovely restaurant called Pier 6 on the waterfront with great food and a superb sunset and nightime view of Downtown. All's well that ends well, as we walked back to the hotel via beautifully-converted custom houses and quiet streets.
We just made a short stop at a roadside rest stop amid the beautiful trees and landscapes of Vermont, and arrived in Boston in the middle of rush hour. We only got lost once, and found the hotel in Charlestown, the old navy dockyard and near the USS Constitution, an area that's been redeveloped to a high standard big time. The hotel is actually the YMCA - but not as you might know it Jim. Big room, big beds (though not a luxury bathroom), with friendly people, thick towels (take note Travelodge), a great grocery and provisions shop round the corner, a cafteteria next door for breakfast and unlimited use of the gym. pool and exercise classes - woo hoo!
The weather was a bit drizzly, but we were directed to a lovely restaurant called Pier 6 on the waterfront with great food and a superb sunset and nightime view of Downtown. All's well that ends well, as we walked back to the hotel via beautifully-converted custom houses and quiet streets.
Culture vultures in Montreal
Montreal is a city where the shit and the chic live cheek by jowl - and that applies to neighbourhoods and people. Today we spent the morning exploring the area known as The Village, which has some fabulous quirky architecture and a faded sleazy charm, especially by day - but it also has its fair share of those who have not and whose alternate lifestyle has taken its toll. It's the centre of Montreal's gay community and nightlife, but although the architecture and the general boho vibe reminded me of Castro in San Francisco, it's nowhere near as vibrant in my view.
We moved on to Sherbrooke, where the properties are large and the people well to do, including as it does McGill University and the very fine Museum des Beaux Arts (we admired the external sculptures, went to the shop, but decided against the Rodin exhibition) . Have got some great pics, but again a slow internet connection means it would be best for me to upload these later.
Instead we paid our dues to visit the small but perfectly-formed McCord Museum, and saw a fabulous photographic exhibition of the work of Horst, the Vogue photographer. We also saw a couple of more localised collections, including one on native American costumes, one on the history of Montreal (the usual North American collection of immigrant nations and settlers) and another on queer ceramics - a bit like Grayson Perry, but very much camper, including some teapots in very rude shapes....disappointing shop though.
Some light shopping followed, though I managed not to spend any money, and we then had dinner at the ridiculously-named Brasserie T! in the Quartier de Spectacles where we sat outside and listened to a nice Aussie band, then went on to a small auditorium for a drink and waited for the act that never came - so packing beckoned and we went home. excited to move on to Boston.
We moved on to Sherbrooke, where the properties are large and the people well to do, including as it does McGill University and the very fine Museum des Beaux Arts (we admired the external sculptures, went to the shop, but decided against the Rodin exhibition) . Have got some great pics, but again a slow internet connection means it would be best for me to upload these later.
Instead we paid our dues to visit the small but perfectly-formed McCord Museum, and saw a fabulous photographic exhibition of the work of Horst, the Vogue photographer. We also saw a couple of more localised collections, including one on native American costumes, one on the history of Montreal (the usual North American collection of immigrant nations and settlers) and another on queer ceramics - a bit like Grayson Perry, but very much camper, including some teapots in very rude shapes....disappointing shop though.
Some light shopping followed, though I managed not to spend any money, and we then had dinner at the ridiculously-named Brasserie T! in the Quartier de Spectacles where we sat outside and listened to a nice Aussie band, then went on to a small auditorium for a drink and waited for the act that never came - so packing beckoned and we went home. excited to move on to Boston.
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
Mooching about in Montreal
After a night spent in the smallest twin room ever, Toni and I refuelled from the all you can eat if you really must continental breakfast bar (I shouldn't be sniffy, it's a Travelodge for god's sake) and strode out into the sunshine, heading for the old port and old town. It's a curious mix of tacky souvenir shops, more upmarket souvenir shops and some well-heeled boutiques - together with more art galleries than you can shake a paintbrush at. We didn't venture, bearing in mind the precarious weight of my suitcase and the fact that I don't have any spare walls at home - but I did buy some tiny moccasins for my new great nephew.
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| Toni and new friends in the Old Town |
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| And me too |
And then there's all the rusting industrial grunge on the waterfront, which we saw more than our fair share of as we stupidly followed a cycle path to Isle St Helene and the biosphere. We set off with such optimism, only to find we were forced below flyovers and alongside speeding traffic and a very large flour factory - not Montreal's most picturesque spot. Thankfully a friendly lady jogger came to our rescue as we despaired over our confusing map - she was running to the casino on the neighbouring island where she works, and by heck that's a long way. The photo above shows the whacky dwellings known as Habitat 67 which were built for the Expo of 1967.
By the time we reached our destination after walking for the best part of 2 hours in over 30 degrees, we were ready to eat a horse and drink its trough, but we had to make do with salad, diet coke and plastic cutlery rather than the oasis we'd hoped for.
We didn't go into the biosphere on the island - to be honest we'd expected something with plants, not the equivalent of the science museum - and to be frank the area wasn't looking at its best as they were obviously packing up from some kind of festival on Sunday. So after lunch we hopped on the metro (why didn't we do that earlier???) and headed for the botanical gardens which are near the recently refurbished Olympic stadium.
The gardens are probably the best I've seen, though if you ever visit be warned that it's $19, the signposting isn't great and they're not well-serviced with food and drink - I was craving ice cream in vain like a thing possessed - but the variety and setting is just fabulous. It rained a bit but didn't cool things down much - hot hot hot...
Old town for dinner - a really lovely restaurant called Les Pyrenees with fish and a decent veggie menu for Toni - hurrah! Waiters were great and I must recommend - is opposite the corner of Saint Paul Ouest and St Pierre. And I had Catalan orange cake with warm choc sauce and a liquer coffee with Kahlua and Cointreau so rolled back to the hotel very happy. The old town is lovely at night, beautifully lit and very, very much like Paris. We're right next to Chinatown here, with more grubby little restaurants than you can shake a chopstick at - shame neither of us like Chinese, but I'm not sure we'd take a chance anyway....
Monday, 13 July 2015
Bitten to buggery
So here I am in Montreal, in the smallest twin room (maybe they mean Siamese twins) I have ever known. Toni and I are taking it in turns to move, open suitcases and so on.
This makes it look quite good, by the way. And it's not even a wide angle lens.
We've spent the weekend in Prince Edward County, a part of Ontario that's doing its level best to out-twee New England, where we'll be later this week. During out brief tour, we've visited 2 wineries and a cidery. Yes, there is such a word, and the cider was very pleasant, though not as nice as the wine from Deviil's Wishbone which I tasted last night. The wines here do taste different to their European cousins - and it's no wonder because in order for the vines to survive the winter, they're buried in soil and then unburied once the sun comes out. With all that effort, I think Canadian wine deserves a bit more exposure but of course they can't produce enough of the stuff to export it. Nice Pinot Gris, Noir and Rose.
We did a bit of shopping here and there, natch, and went for a lovely lakeside walk around Sandbanks, having declined to cram ourselves on to the beach with the hoi polloi who had descended for the weekend.
We have of course indulged in ice cream, but food has been a little samey and our hurried first meal in Montreal tonight didn't promise too much better.
And naturally on that walk, and during our stay in the middle of nowhere (also known as Carrying Place) at the Owl's Nest B&B, every local biting insect decided it wanted a piece of me and I'm now covered in itchy scratchy red bumps smothered in any available lotion and potion known to man to reduce the swelling and stop the anti-social scratching. The Owl's Nest was run by a couple of hippies (service wasn't their main forte, I don't think - as in they ignored us once we'd arrived until we left and were due to settle up), but they'd done their best to make the place homely, including the handmade pots, crockery, mugs and tiles made by host Jenna. The house itself was made out of straw and it had most mod cons though enhanced by a slightly whiffy septic tank. It's a lovely idea that didn't quite work in the execution, but at least we had room to swing a cat had one turned up wanting swinging. In this room, it really would bounce off all walls .
En route for Montreal, we visited a lavender farm, had lunch at the cidery (still can't believe that's a real word),
and then headed to Kingston, so that Toni could take a look at where daughter Izzy would be studying this autumn - at the school of Kinaeseology (which is probably not spelled right either). It's partly lovely and partly seedy in equal measure - just what a university town should be!
On to Montreal and found the hotel easily, but we were running quite late. It's just like a UK Travelodge but with inferior tea and coffee making facilities. (And a very inferior breakfast, but I've moved on a day and will post again tomorrow.) We found a dodgy pub nearby and had a dodgy meal including chilled Pinot Noir (purlease....) but it was late and we were desperate. There's a comedy festival going on (Just for Laughs, you've probably seen in on TV), but unfortunately at the moment it's entirely in French and my schoolgirl level just isn't up to it. Already I'm embarrassing myself by beginning a conversation with a waiter/shop assistant/hotel receptionist in French, only to founder at the first hurdle of their response, or at best the reply I should be giving. I will keep trying....
The internet connection here in the hotel is poor, so will post photos later or I will never get any sleep.
This makes it look quite good, by the way. And it's not even a wide angle lens.
We've spent the weekend in Prince Edward County, a part of Ontario that's doing its level best to out-twee New England, where we'll be later this week. During out brief tour, we've visited 2 wineries and a cidery. Yes, there is such a word, and the cider was very pleasant, though not as nice as the wine from Deviil's Wishbone which I tasted last night. The wines here do taste different to their European cousins - and it's no wonder because in order for the vines to survive the winter, they're buried in soil and then unburied once the sun comes out. With all that effort, I think Canadian wine deserves a bit more exposure but of course they can't produce enough of the stuff to export it. Nice Pinot Gris, Noir and Rose.
 |
| Vines at Norman Hardie Winery |
We did a bit of shopping here and there, natch, and went for a lovely lakeside walk around Sandbanks, having declined to cram ourselves on to the beach with the hoi polloi who had descended for the weekend.
 |
| Nice view, shame about the legs |
We have of course indulged in ice cream, but food has been a little samey and our hurried first meal in Montreal tonight didn't promise too much better.
And naturally on that walk, and during our stay in the middle of nowhere (also known as Carrying Place) at the Owl's Nest B&B, every local biting insect decided it wanted a piece of me and I'm now covered in itchy scratchy red bumps smothered in any available lotion and potion known to man to reduce the swelling and stop the anti-social scratching. The Owl's Nest was run by a couple of hippies (service wasn't their main forte, I don't think - as in they ignored us once we'd arrived until we left and were due to settle up), but they'd done their best to make the place homely, including the handmade pots, crockery, mugs and tiles made by host Jenna. The house itself was made out of straw and it had most mod cons though enhanced by a slightly whiffy septic tank. It's a lovely idea that didn't quite work in the execution, but at least we had room to swing a cat had one turned up wanting swinging. In this room, it really would bounce off all walls .
En route for Montreal, we visited a lavender farm, had lunch at the cidery (still can't believe that's a real word),
 |
| County Cidery |
and then headed to Kingston, so that Toni could take a look at where daughter Izzy would be studying this autumn - at the school of Kinaeseology (which is probably not spelled right either). It's partly lovely and partly seedy in equal measure - just what a university town should be!
On to Montreal and found the hotel easily, but we were running quite late. It's just like a UK Travelodge but with inferior tea and coffee making facilities. (And a very inferior breakfast, but I've moved on a day and will post again tomorrow.) We found a dodgy pub nearby and had a dodgy meal including chilled Pinot Noir (purlease....) but it was late and we were desperate. There's a comedy festival going on (Just for Laughs, you've probably seen in on TV), but unfortunately at the moment it's entirely in French and my schoolgirl level just isn't up to it. Already I'm embarrassing myself by beginning a conversation with a waiter/shop assistant/hotel receptionist in French, only to founder at the first hurdle of their response, or at best the reply I should be giving. I will keep trying....
The internet connection here in the hotel is poor, so will post photos later or I will never get any sleep.
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