Parc du Mont Royal - Montreal

We had a slow start to the day and headed out after 1pm for the Parc du Mont Royal which is not far behind the hotel. Well let me be a little more specific it is not too far UP THE HUGE HILL to the entrance of the park. 

After making it up the hill, gasping for air but trying to look somewhat cool I was stopped in my tracks by the sudden appearance of a large amount of wooden stairs that seemed to be ascending to the heavens. Now had I known at that stage that there was in fact over 400 steps to climb I may have found a good excuse not to go but that knowledge came all too late. 

Naturally Mr "I've just climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro" was fine and even Eyad decided to sprint ahead. I on the other hand took many opportunities to stop on the landings and pretend I was taking photos so that all those svelte gorgeous French Canadians who were jogging up and down the steps having conversations with each other didn't notice that I was close to collapsing in a heap. Frankly I am surprised that were no defibrillators on the route up, I mean seriously I can not be the only out of shape person climbing up there? 

Anyway I made it, no Rocky-Style dance from me, just a slow crawl to bench at the Chalet to enjoy the view which was some what blurred from the copious amounts of sweat running down my face (just a heads up, sweat and make-up - NOT a good look my friends). 

Eyad wanted  an ice-cream but I was looking forward to the cafe inside, ahhhh nice air-conditioning. Hmmm, no what was inside was a row of blooming vending machines, seriously! We got our waters and ice-cream and sat down to relax and enjoy the view. 

The view over Montreal was wonderful even on a cloudy day. 

Eyad loves taking photos with my phone, this was his selfie with Momma. 

There was a lot more park to explore but as there were no playgrounds Eyad lost interest pretty quickly and we decided to head back down and find somewhere for lunch. I am pleased to say the return was much more to my pace. 

After lunch we headed back to the hotel so I could finish some bookings and make our train reservations for the morning up to Quebec. After peeling off my clothes, yes jeans were not the best choice today, I relaxed in my bath knowing all too well I will feel this pain tomorrow!

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A Day in Montreal - Centre de sciences de Montreal

We arrived at Le Germain Hotel Montreal midmorning and thankfully that had a room ready for us (bless them!) so we checked in and then headed out to find some breakfast. 

Now usually I am pretty good at reading maps but somehow I thought the hotel was on the other side of the street and I read the map wrong and headed in the opposite direction. Well just as well I did as we stumbled upon some lovely cafes and found the prefect spot for some eggs benedict and pancakes for Eyad. Being a Saturday it was lovely because the city was just filled in people in no hurry enjoying the beautiful day. 

Once filled up we returned "back" the right way and as we passed a Pandora I thought it was a good opportunity to add a "Canadian" memento to my bracelet. Oh and then I spotted a gorgeous pair of earrings and it was one of those "I will always remember Montreal" moments and splurged, thank you darling Ali. 

Our next stop was the Centre of Sciences down on the waterfront. The walk down took us through the old city and I was awe struck with the beauty of the buildings. It also took us through a rather dubious area and Chinatown so we got the whole nickel and dime tour. It is very hard for me to remember that we are in Canada and not France! 

After one more hill we found our destination.

                                   

Unlike my visit with the kids in Toronto this one was, what's the word ... disjointed. Eyad was happy to stay at some areas, like the car tracks that you run a ball down, for ages but when we got to the "good stuff" he raced through like a lunatic and didn't really take any of it in. I know he is only 4 but I had hoped it would hold his interest a little longer. 

This was my shift so Ali took a power nap.

He did seem to enjoy his time in Fabrik which was a fabulous section set up with different challenges. 

There were large construction tables with tools, recyclables and all you need to be creative. I loved it and thought that this would be a great concept for Muscat.

It was Ali's turn to keep the lad entertained and I could see that it was a real challenge to keep him focused. 

Eyad's favourite area was the creating chain reactions. 

He called it the "contraption area". There was a video playing of one that had been created outside in the gardens which was fantastic and then it was up to you to create your own. 

This might just be the theme for Laith's 13th birthday, I think an outdoor version would be brilliant. 

We had a long time to fill in before our planned 5.30pm IMAX show, Secrets of the Sea. We went to the food village next door and got some lunch and decided to sit outside. I got up to give Eyad a wet-wipe and some crazy huge seagull swooped down and tried to take my lunch. Needless to say I didn't find it as appetising after that. 

We went back for the movie which was in 3D. Eyad lost interest after 10 minutes and asked "when is the real movie starting", oh dear.  This time it was an Imax not an Omnimax as it was in Toronto and while it was ok I thought Toronto's was much better. 

Overall I thought Toronto's Science centre was better laid out and had a larger variety of activities to keep kids of all ages involved. 

A long slow walk back to the hotel occasionally stopping to watch squirrels on the way. We were tired and ready for the lovely big bath and comfortable bed that awaited us. 

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Kensington Market and some Domestic Duties

The other day when I was having lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant I took a wrong turn and went down a street that looked interesting but I was tired and headed back to the hotel. Imagine my surprise when I decided to go to Kensington Markets and realised I was just a few feet away the other day before I turned back, lol. 

Kensington Markets is a mish mash of different cultures. I might take Laith back here for some Churros when they are back in Toronto.  Lot's of Latino, Jamican and many other cultures are represented in diverse and hip-chic style restaurants and eateries. 

Down the end of the street was a park but to be honest it was a little seedy and I was fairly sure this dude was about to offer me drugs for sale as I stood on the corner looking around. 

There was a very cool shop called Blue Banana. Best described as a cornucopia of anything you could need and a lot of things you never thought even existed. It had little nooks of coffee, honey and one of my favourites ... chilli. 

Some like it HOT

I didn't end up eating there, just wasn't in the mood but it was a great place to people watch.

Loving the ever prominent "green Toronto" efforts.

Earlier in the day I headed down King Street on the street car to go and do some laundry. It is easy peasy and pretty quick. For the cost of two small loads and drying it's worth it as the same amount of money would probably get 2 or 3 items in the hotel.

As my washing was in the machine I was stopped in next door to the pet store as a sign outside intrigued me, it said Self-Service Dog Wash. So I took a look inside and asked if I could take some pictures. I really think this has great potential for a business in Muscat. 

 

Loving Tronto!

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Toronto Harbourfront

With the lovely summer weather and being the weekend I thought heading down to the waterfront would be a nice idea to dwindle away the hours. 

The street car runs into and along the waterfront which makes getting there very easy. 

I love that there is wonderful grassy areas to relax. The waterfront is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by. The theme over the weekend was dance and music and I enjoyed sitting and watching some African dancers.

Across the water is Toronto Islands which I hope to get to later in the week.

One thing that I thought was amazing was the Pawsway, a complete building dedicated to pets with an indoor run area, cafe etc. These Canadians really love their pets. The bikeways also make this an easy place to navigate and I am sure live in. 

On my way back I stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant up on Spadina Ave. The other day when I passed it there was a large line outside so I figured there must be something good to attract all those people. 

I had some yummy food even thought I had no idea what I was ordering , lol.

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Happy Canada Day

Today is CANADA DAY - woo hoo. I headed off to Queens Park to join in the outdoor festivities. It was a great place for kids with lots and lots of activities.

The Pan Am games are starting in a weeks time and the city is gearing up towards welcoming all the visitors and athletes. I thought this was kind of cute...

I really liked the chalk area which was a big hit with the kids too. 

I headed up college street on the street car and hoped to get High Park but I thought I was lost and got off the car two stops too early (I later discovered when looking at the map). But it didn't matter as I headed back on the street car and got off in Little Italy and found a lovely little place to have some lunch and watch the world go by. Cafe Diplomatico was a smallish family run italian restaurant that was buzzing with people.

On the way home I found just behind my hotel a Bulk Barn. A first for me and I was super impressed. It hurts to see things like Chia Seeds so cheap here when you need to take out a loan to get them in Muscat. I got a nice goodie bag of dried fruits, nuts and a few sweeties too.

It has been easy to navigate the TTC transport system with the subway, buses and street cars.

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