The St. Lawrence Seaway is intimidating, with vicious currents. Boaters MUST pay attention to the tides and should navigate a healthy distance away from the unforgiving seawalls.
Port d’escale Marina – Old Port of Montreal
The Old Port is located in the heart of the city. Take the time to explore the historic buildings, galleries, museums, cathedrals, spacious parks, and boutiques – but wear comfy shoes, it’s a LOT of walking.
Looking for restaurant tips? Follow your nose! There is no shortage of amazing places to eat. This lobster place was fabulous. Sorry, no food photos.
Jardin Nelson.
Thank you again to Ray and Caryl for introducing us to this restaurant gem, Jardin Nelson was worth repeating, with live jazz at lunch and dinner!
Hop-on Hop-Off Red Bus
Sold as a two-day pass, there are lots of stops worth exploring. The bus is supposed to arrive every 15 minutes, but make sure you are at a current pickup spot since construction changes the route on occasion. Unfortunately for us, the bus did NOT stop near the Notre Dame Basilica, although the website stated otherwise. Walking from the marina, the best pickup stop is at the Old Montreal Pointe a Calliere.
The two-hour tour is a great way to see the city.
Although you might end up with a lot of photos of people taking photos.
Inuksuk
Inuksuks are fascinating. Found in Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, the pile of stones serve as a landmark in the Arctic regions. Depending on how and where they are built, each marker serves a distinct purpose: directions, warning, marking a food cache, or maybe a place of reverence. In northern Alaska tall piles of stones are used to create drift fences for caribou herds, gently guiding the critters towards native hunters who plan to fill up their freezers.
The stone piles vary greatly in size and shape, influenced by the purpose of the pile and the availability of stones, of course. The “human-like” or cross-shaped stone pile is uncommon on the tundra, attributed to the arrival of European missionaries and explorers.
Shoppers Tip: Symmetrical carved inuksuk are targeted to tourists. Look for something unique and meaningful.
Ferris Wheel Ride – now that’s a view!
Thanks to Gail and David, I got to see more of the city! Capt. Rick is not fond of heights, so he snapped a photo of us on the wheel.
Cirque du Soleil – Echo
The newest Big Top performance, Echo, recently launched in Montreal. A tale about evolution, the acrobatic magic is reported to be spectacular. The Old Port marina is immediately adjacent to the circus tents, so we were really excited! Can you spot Exhale and Tonto’s Reward in the marina?
Location Services On
Bravo to T-Mobile. Yes, Emergency Alerts work in Canada. On our final day in Montreal our phones began blaring, “seek shelter, seek shelter”. Within an hour a dramatic storm occurred, aggressive wind, lightning strikes directly overhead, heavy rain and hail pummeled our boat, we later heard a tornado touched down a few miles away.
Plan B
Perhaps you have heard the old adage, “The Show Must Go On”. Except when the outdoor event is cancelled by a massive storm.
Although we missed out on Cirque du Soleil, when the skies cleared, Plan B was to venture out to a beautiful venue.
Great excuse for a yummy dessert
Departing early in the morning to match the tides, Tonto’s Reward navigated the seaway with grace and ease.
Marina Sorel – Parlez-vous francais?
In the Province of Quebec roughly 95% of the populous speak French as the primary language. And more than 70% only speak French (source, Wikipedia).
Don’t Panic travelers. Just a little bit of French can open doors.
Last time we were in Sorel, a place near and dear to Houlegan Again, Sideways got us into the Quebec marinas with his confident French. Inspired by him, I taught myself a useful phrase to get us into the Marina Sorel on friendly terms.
“Je ne parle pas francais, parlez-vous anglais?” If you can say, in French, “I don’t speak French, do you speak English” the response is often a clear “Yes!” Oddly, if you ask the question in English, you might just get crickets.
Boaters: We’ve got an app for that! I like iTranslate, David B uses Google Translate (free). With a little practice, you can learn just enough to be friendly. Surrounded by 7.2 million Canadians speaking French, it’s worth the effort!
Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers) Quebec
Marina Trois Rivieres is situated on an island, the river view is lovely, with well-manicured grounds.
The marina view is not so lovely. Exhale and Tonto were tied up immediately adjacent to the Kruger Paper mill. The mill generates “eco-friendly high-quality products”; perhaps “eco-friendly” just ignores the local environment because running 24-hours a day, it smells nasty. I mean REALLY PUTRID.
We left the smelly island for dinner; thanks to Paul Belisle we had reservations at a trendy waterfront restaurant in picturesque Trois Rivieres. The Le Poivre Noir (Black Pepper) is renowned for its authentic French cuisine. Thanks Paul, that was a memorable evening!
Boater’s Tip: When a little bit of poorly spoken French is not enough, just ask the first friendly Canadian you encounter to interpret, especially when the taxi dispatcher has no idea where you are … But I will let Tonto’s Reward tell that phenomenal story in Gail’s next blog entry. Stay Tuned!
Celebrating Milestones
Birthdays: July 22, Ray Houle (congrats on the boat transaction!); July 28, Diana Giraldo; July 31, Ann Freedman
Anniversary: July 22, Matt and Michele Jackson
Next Up: Quebec City – awaiting the arrival of Claude and JoAnn Welles!
Exhale on the Water 