NIAGARA FALLS - SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014

Good morning! We decided to drive 350 miles to see Niagara Falls! Our Ottawa campsite didn't warrant another night ... all grass and mosquitoes. That's the great thing about hauling our spare house around with us, if you don't like the neighborhood, leave it behind. Ha!

Today is Daniel and Allie's wedding day in Montauk. We wish them all the best.  

Christine, Pam, Allie and Dan ... ready for the big day!

Traffic hell in Toronto ... Canada's largest city! ... 14 lanes in some places. 

We're on Queen Elizabeth's Highway ... nice street lights, eh?

The lakehead ships were loading up. 

Yay, 5 hours later ... the drive was tough with heavy traffic. 

OTTAWA - FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014

Wow! Another sunny day is in store for us. Sue and Wayne left early for a driving tour of the parliament area and to walk the grounds of the prime minister's residence. (As Americans, it's strange how lax the Canadians are on national security ... no restrictions like we'd find in Washington, DC!)

Mark and I went to the Canada War Museum. It was fantastic!!! Having lost a Great Uncle Archibald to WWI and Uncle Bob to WWII, I found it very interesting. My dad served in the Canadian Army WWII and Mark's dad was in training as an American pilot. 

Adolph Hitler's car ... and Mark! (Heehee)

Mortar cannon ... and Mark. 

Oh yes ... the FLQ, I'd forgotten that. 

One of Canada's disarmed Nukes now hangs innocently from the ceiling. 

Farley Mowatt, a Canadian author ... and museum supporter. 

The German V-1 Flying Bomb (kamikaze-like) 

Canadians entered the war in 1940 ... nearly 3 years before Americans. My father was away nearly 6 years! His leaves were spent getting to know my mother's London family, relationships that lasted their lifetime. 

Mark, impersonating President George W. Bush. LOL

My dad was in Sicily ... 

Uncle Bob was killed when a tank exploded. 

Great Uncle Archibald was killed in action in WWI. 

And hours later, we had lunch at an Irish Pub in the Byward Market area. 

Tonight, Wayne cooked chicken sausages and Sue made a tomato/avocado salad. Yummy. 

Tomorrow, early, we're off to Niagara Falls!

THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014

What is that bright orb in the sky? Wow! We have a bright sunny day! Everything looks so much better ... the St. Lawrence River is blue! 

Montreal Island in the distance. 

We're driving to Canada's capital city today ... Ottawa. Montreal is so sprawling that it took nearly an hour to pass. 

We were happy to see the Ontario border and signs in BOTH English and French. 

After arriving at Camp Hither Hills, Sue came over for the gin bottle ... Wayne had a sour stomach. (Both Mark and I had it about a week apart; and now Wayne!) Swig the gin for good measure too, Sue. Haha. 

Mark and I are going to take a drive to downtown Ottawa for an overview. 

The Peace Tower and Senate Parliament.  Photos don't do justice to the splendor.  

The Fairmont Chateau Lauriet Hotel. 

The Canadian Mint ... 

A beautiful church ... with lilacs in bloom all over the city! Heavenly. 

Sussex Avenue follows the famous Rideau Canal. 

We discovered the local marketplace, parked and walked to an Irish Pub for a pint. People watching in this city is very interesting!  Canadians are a real cultural soup. LOL. 

At the Art Museum I spotted this huge spider. 

Tomorrow, plans are to drive to Parliament Hill and poke about. Ta ta for now. 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

Today, our plan included touring the Vieux-Montreal Port ... the Biosphere (site of the '67 Expo) ... 1976 Olympic Stadium ... Habitat 67 ... and shopping. 

Today, we took separate vehicles. Sue and Wayne took the dogs for a ride ... Mark and I left ours home to relax. 

Christ Church in Montreal

 

The churches are beautiful. 

The first place we drove to was the Biosphere ... site of Expo '67 (yes, a long time ago) ... Mark was there as a young lad. 

I remembered hearing about Habitat '67 that was designed by 23 year old architect Moshe Safdie. 

Wikipedia supplied this information. 

Next, we drove to the Olympic 1976 Venue ... you can see the oblique tower behind this church. 

The plan was to go up the tower for photos of the city ... had the weather forecast been vaguely accurate. LOL. 

We didn't see where Sue and Wayne drove after that ... but Mark and I decided to visit the Sailor's Memorial Clock Tower on the Port of Montreal property. ("This is a fine mess you got me into, Ollie!") LOL

Our Garmin GPS couldn't find the clock tower, although we'd spotted it from the Jacques Cartier Bridge earlier. So, I asked Google Maps ... voila!!! 

Mark drove as I pointed the way. At one point it looked like the road dead-ended, but Google Maps showed a road; so we took it. Now, my French isn't great, actually, I just remember a little from school, years and years ago! I'm certain the sign said "No Admittance, Port Authority" but then it also said "something" about okay if you have port business; and there was NO guard. 

We are within the Port of Montreal ... inside the triple barbed wire fencing, LOL, toodling along. I snapped this pic of a life boat (we thought). 

One of the many ships we saw ...

Miles later, we came to a closed automatic gate. I was certain that if we drove close to it ... but, no, it wouldn't open! Anyway, I found a place to get a great shot of the Memorial, above. 

Across from the Port I saw a squat lighthouse, some sort of castle-type turret and the Biosphere. 

We drove as far as the Molson's Brewery on the Port Road before we were forced to backtrack 5 miles to our point of entry. Darn! Mark was nervous ... thought we'd be stopped and questioned, but there was no security. None. 

Tonight, Mark is cooking a pork loin and we are doing a salad and potatoes. Sue and Wayne will join us for our last dinner in Montreal. 

Mark, Maggie and Robbie ... braving the weather. 

Tomorrow, we are off to Ottawa for three nights. 

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014

Oh, it was a great night for sleeping ... rain and wind! (Mark and I had no heat on and my bedside window open.) Perfect.

This morning, the wind died off but the rain was on and off. I put the raincoats on the dogs and away we went for a walk. About 10:30, Wayne drove and we went touring Old Montreal. It wasn't a day for stunning photos, but we took a few. 

There are some beautiful buildings and much reconstruction going on. 

This is one of the oldies being rehabbed. The roofline is unique ... we noticed it from many street corners. Wayne asked a pedestrian for the building's name; but no luck. 

There were many high end shops, and plenty of traffic. 

Tulips and lilacs were both in bloom. 

Wayne suggested we find a Jewish deli for lunch. (He heard Montreal had "the best"!) I Googled it and came up with Schwartz's ... and away we went. 

My vegetarian friends won't find this appetizing but the smoked meat sandwiches were delicious ... plus good fries and coleslaw. 

Across the street was Jewish monument company. Mark liked the graffiti style art and thought my cousin Elliott would like it. 

Notice the old chiseler on the top. 

Okay, so Mark got carried away with graffiti art ... but hey, it was a rainy day. 

Art is in the eye of the viewer. 

Beautiful. 

Canada Coast Guard hydroplane passing our back window. 

The Marina / RV Park. 

Maggie, Robbie and Mark ... 52F and windy ... at the Marina. 

Tonight, Sue and Wayne are serving rotisserie chicken, fresh HUGE rolls and we're taking a salad. Yum. 

More rain is predicted about 6:30 ... good thing the dogs had a big walk already!

A feast aboard the Prevost.