After our visit to London (see previous post), we decided to hop on a coach and head west to the city of Bath. On the way, Robin and I caught our first glimps of the English countryside. That first real slate-cottage thrill!
Bath is grand, and layered with Roman history, yet charming and serene at the same time. It is a gateway to the English countryside, and when you gaze out to the little houses spilling across the hills, you can just begin to see the overlap of the Cotswolds. The Georgian style buldings that can be seen everywhere in Bath were once stained black from coal fires. In recent years the buildings have been cleaned to reveal that milky stone that Bath was famous for. The Roman baths, though no longer in use are an important part of a visit to the city. The museum has done a wonderful job preserving ancient crumbling rooms below ground level, and you can wonder amongst them, a catching a glimpse of the hot springs gushing along as abundant as ever. In the shopping areas of Bath, you can find oodles of fudgeries, Cornish pasty shops, and corner cafes, trinket shops and English souvenirs a plenty. Bath is a great place to stay especially if your planning on some day-trips to Stonehenge, and the village of Lacock (which we will post about soon).
We did have a fun adventure one evening, we had been given a tip that inexpensive and tasty dinners were to be found in many local pubs. So, Robin and I wandered until we found one with a couple of available chairs, and sat down. We both had a beautiful roast chicken dinner, Robin had some ale, and I had a Blackthorn Cider. Before long Robin said, “I don’t want to alarm you, but did you realize you are the only girl in this whole place?” Yes, indeed I had noticed that all around me men were glued to the “Football” game. Well, when our dinners were done, a friendly inebriated young man came up to us, said that he was hungry, and then asked if he could have a go at our leftovers (of which there were none- just the bones really.) It took a moment before we realized that this poor soul wasn’t joking, and then he turned around apparently too embarrassed to speak to us any longer. We did feel a little bad, but the man could have bought food instead of booze. Well, there is no shortage of adventures to be had in English pubs, and neither is there any shortage of chips.
Now that we are back from the UK, our pictures of London have been posted (over the coming weeks, we will regularly post about our tour of England and Scotland):
London is too big to see in one visit, too diverse to sum up, so filled with ancient history it leaves your head swimming, and frankly too bloody astounding for words. But, I’ll try to paint a picture for you; London is a bustling metropolis filled with layers upon layers of architectural wonders, world treasures, haunted pubs, umbrellas and tureens of clotted cream! Robin and I were electrified by London’s goings on! We took full advantage of one of those handy hop-on hop-off double-decker buses (and it’s our opinion but it’s the best way to see London in a day), and marvelled that we were actually there, in the middle of it all. In fact, my first thought coming into Kensington station on the Underground, was the “Chim Chimney…roof tops of London” song from Mary Poppins! There it was; that chimney sweep world of enchantment.
We stayed in a little hotel in South Kensington with scented toilet paper and a shower tap mechanism previously unknown to us. We enjoyed English breakfasts at a spot called “The Muffin Man” and puzzled that every bloody plate came with a whithered tomato, and explored as much as we had time for. We ate fish and chips, and cream teas, we found Turkish delight, and lamb and mint flavored potato chips. We also managed to master the Tube, listening to countless announcements to “Mind the Gap between the platform and the train”. I was desperate to get all the haunted information I could, and on Halloween night, Robin and I not only found the Sand Witch, but met up with a ghost tour complete with limb-less live action. We toured the British Museum which is amazing, and equally exhausting, the National Gallery were we both fell in love with Turner’s paintings, and The Tate Modern, where some installations actually made my stomach turn.
As I am ever on the search for the world’s greatest chocolate, I made a special trip to Chelsey to visit Rococo chocolates, where my lovely friend Christine had found me a rose-flavored bar. Rococo is known for their unique flower flavored chocolate, and the violet was almost as nice as the rose.
The Tower of London is worth an entire day, that’s time enough to go up into all the towers, see the levels of museums inside, have a lovely pricey little lunch at the cafe, and view the dazzling crown jewels (don’t miss out on the little cannonettes or the arms and armour, codpieces included!) The London eye is also a must-see to appreciate the enormity of the city, but ration your liquids it’s a 30 minute ride! London is truly beautiful and wondrous, exceeding expectation.
Robin and I finally stumbled into old Montreal with eyes wide and a child-like compulsion to explore. Tunnels and cavernous cobbled streets were lined with iron signs protruding from the entrances of shops. It was nothing short of Muggle “Diagon Alley” with posh galleries, and hip restaurants boasting “best poutine in town” speckled throughout. Horse drawn carriages clip-clopped their way down the alleys, and wealthy folks on holiday bounced in those carriages in all their finery admiring the views of the port. To my dismay, the chocolate shops were few and far between! The docks at the port jutted out into the St. Lawrence river, and were swarming with seagulls. If you turned around, you could see the towers of Notre Dam, the steeples of other gorgeous ancient churches among the skyscrapers, and Mont Royal Mountain.
Still hoping to find my favorite chocolate on earth, I trekked to Jean-Talon Market by metro. Jean-Talon market is an enormously good time for anyone who enjoys grocery shopping the way it should be. Outdoors, and under countless tents. There were kiosks dedicated to selling pumpkins of all sizes, garlic and dried peppers, vendors who’d combined exotic berries in baskets to create irresistible displays. You could find giant figs that had to be bought individually, and shops specializing in hard-to-find spices. The cheese shops were so busy that the Montrealers had to shout their orders over counter tops and shove each other ever-so-slightly. I bought currants as bright as cherry candy, Concords, a few giant figs (because I do not fool around), and a handful of artisan chocolate- but still no sign of that darn Porcelana chocolate! I am beginning to have bad dreams about finding my favourite chocolate on store shelves, but when I get close, the packages turn into cd’s. It is very frustrating!
Sutton
As a very thoughtful birthday gift to Robin, Joan and Deirdre rented us a car for one whole weekend. So, Robin and I drove out to the Eastern Townships (Cantons de l’Est) during the first weekend in October, which might have been the very best time to go! The mountains in the distance were on fire with oranges and reds, yellows and greens. There were leaves blowing around the streets of those little towns too, and pumpkins on almost every doorstep! It was heaven! Robin and I stayed in Sutton the first night, at Gite Vert le Mont, a lovely B&B run by a British woman and her mother who kept us in stitches the whole time. The next morning was overcast and chilly, with the sent of woodsmoke drifting in from somewhere, and we decided to go for a drive. Because of the cloud cover, we were unable to get the pictures we wanted. But Robin and I will be able to recall the colors in our minds- we were speechless! I was lucky to find two lavender farms during our travels that day- but of course, all the lavender had been harvested so there was little more to see than the gift shops. We drove on and on through the most scenic towns, each with their own little churches and graveyards, until we stopped in Knowlton. Knowlton is where Deirdre grew up and I must say that she is a lucky one! It was the most charming town we had seen yet, surely the most sceninc town to spend Halloween in, and we got to spend the night in the historic hotel on main street! Robin and I went book shopping, and wandered around the town crunching leaves under our shoes. Delightful! We spent one more night at the B&B in Sutton before heading back to Montreal.
It is wonderful to be in a city where you are almost always greeted in both languages. You hear “Bonjour, Hello!” as if it were one whole word. According to our cousin Jessica, who has been in Montréal for four years, if you don’t speak and give away your preferred language, those greeting you will sometimes just keep speaking both English and French just to be sure. Très intéressant.
Speaking of Jessica, she greeted us at the VIA train station the day we arrived, and took us out for supper. We all had wonderful lasagna at an Italian restaurant themed after witches (we were in the gay-bourhood, and Robin spotted a man with his slave on a leash). We had taken the five hour trip from Toronto on Friday afternoon, hoping to see the fall colours, but which we are still eagerly awaiting – the green is only starting to leave (is that a pun?).
Seahorse lanterns
A few nights later, Jessica invited us out to see the Chinese lantern display at the botanical gardens, and we were accompanied by her roommate and good friend Liz (yes, that made things confusing). We went at night so we could see the lanterns lit up and it made us feel like kids at a carnival. Please do check out the pictures, it was a gorgeous display. A riot of colour (Liz’s words).
Tea party in the park
Our good friend and long time co-worker/office-mate, Dups, also lives in Montréal (it is awesome to have friends in so many places). We smuggled in a copy of Rock Band 2 for him and his friends, which we purchased in Toronto, since Québec language laws don’t allow RB2 to be sold here, as the songs aren’t translated into French. Although, we all mused at how funny it would be to hear “Hungry Like A Wolf” en français.
Dups graciously invited us to a tea party in the park Saturday afternoon in Parc Jeanne Mance, where a group of his friends were gathering to say au revoir to one of them that was about to travel to Rwanda and beyond. There were blankets sat upon the grass, and as time went by, more and more people arrived bearing a variety of teas and dinosaur-shaped sandwiches. The nutella brontosauruses were particularly tasty. It was a beautiful day, and we met many friendly and charming people, who made us feel at home.
Downtown, the Underground City, and Mont Royal
Mont Royal
After slowing our pace for a few days while Robin recovered from a brief cold, we headed out to explore once again. Our destination was downtown and Mont Royal. We didn’t know this before, but not only is Montréal a big ass island, but it has a mountain just north of downtown (or at least a very tall hill at 700 ft), Mont Royal. Once you hear the name pronounced in french, you realise that Montréal is named after Mont Royal. We really enjoyed hiking up the mountain, even though the main entrance pathway is undergoing construction of some sort. The views from the top are spectacular.
rue Crescent
Downtown Montréal is fun. We always assumed it would be similar to Toronto, but we find it is quite different. Not quite as looming, and much more relaxed! Overall we get a calm feeling in Montréal (at least, once Robin got over his anxiety about not speaking french fluently… which hasn’t been a problem at all).
Spiral staircase
The most interesting architectural feature has been the exterior spiral staircases leading to second and higher floors of the older houses. You see them everywhere. They are quite beautiful, but at such sharp inclines, the practicality of such design during Canadian winters is somewhat questionable Speaking of winter, downtown features an extensive Underground City, where one can escape from the fierce cold outside (though currently it is mild and lovely). The Underground City is essentially West Edmonton Mall, but underground (sans waterpark and pirate ships).
Overall, we are enjoying Montréal immensely.
A bit more Toronto
Before we left Toronto last week, we had the chance to take in a few more activities.
The Science Centre was fun, and we enjoyed a lay-down in the planetarium, but overall it showed us how impressive the Edmonton Science Centre really is in comparison.
Liz Loves Früli
We visited the Bier Markt (beer market) with Cecilia, a restaurant with 100′s of beers and a great patio near the distillery district. We all sat in the intermittent rain under an umbrella and drank beer with our meals for hours. Liz fell in love with the Belgian lambic beers (they are mixed with fruit juices). Früli, a strawberry lambic, was the top pick for her. Robin tried many beers, including Hobgoblin beer made in Wychwood. Ooooo. Cecilia tried a cool beer that was made with tequila and lime called Desperados. Surprisingly enough, it was made in France, not Mexico.
Mmm... Hobgoblin
We took a mix of buses, trolleys, and trains to get out to the Toronto Zoo (1.5hrs one way!) We didn’t have all the time needed to see everything, so we prioritized. Our favs were a pygmy hippo, a wrinkly rhino, orangutans drinking what looked like tang, and the coral reef exhibit. We took a few videos of the awesome jellyfish tank, and Liz pocketed a few acorns.
Videos: Jellyfish, Seahorses, Anemone
Omakaze dish 5
Takesushi was a restaurant recommended to us by Ray Lim, specifically the chef’s special, called Omakaze. We needed to order it in advance (the most spectacular of which actually requires 3-days notice!) We didn’t know what to expect, but couldn’t have been more enchanted with the nine course Japanese meal that unfolded. We shared the medium level Omakaze at $85, and we savoured every dish (and we are still fantasizing about it). The dishes ranged from the most elegant sushi we’ve seen, to simple traditional soups that exploded with flavour. Robin also had his first raw oyster, pictured, served with two types of uni (sea urchin). Yum!
We will leave you now with a tranquil video of the bubble machine on Kensington that greeted us each time we ventured to that market…
What I have learned is that no person should be caught without an umbrella in Toronto come early September. The heavy rains would explain why galoshes have been so cunningly woven into the local fashion here. What seemed to be a citywide desperate attempt to weave something new into the urban ensemble, now makes a lot more damn sense!
Signs everywhere
Robin and I are staying at the Grange hotel near the heart of China town. It is not as charming to look at as our previous 3-day residence, however, this one comes with a kitchenette, so I can finally cook an egg the way I like it! Amen! We ventured out into the strip of seemingly endless red and yellow awnings, open vegetable markets, tea shops with barrels of pungent dried shitake mushrooms, and various blinking trinket stands, and entered “Excellent Cantonese Restaurant”. We ate a super inexpensive lunch on layer upon layer of white garbage bags that adorned every single table. The slippery surface proved difficult- yet handy when I poured jasmine tea from uselessly drippy spouts. In the middle of our meal a man came to replenish the crab tank behind us. One by one dropping them in, and no, they are not for decoration. We watched the waitress gather up teacups, dishes, and chopsticks all in the topmost layer of the garbage bag, and haul the whole thing to the kitchen. It was clever, humorous even, but not romantic.
Secret Door
We walked Queen St. with it’s excellent windows filled with tantalizing objects, and fashions that would not fit into my backpack *Pout*, and we made our way to the hockey hall of fame. I took a picture of Robin standing next to Lord Stanley’s cup. Then down to the distillery district we went. Oh fantastic!! Beautifully kept Victorian buildings and cobblestone streets all transformed into some of the coolest coffee shops and galleries anywhere. We sipped lovely coffee at Balzac’s, and watched the urbanized wildlife, including two black squirrels in the window flowerpot chittering over a dog biscuit. But my friends, the highlight was stumbling into a gorgeous little chocolate shop in the middle of this euphoric bricked-street wonderland, and finding my favorite chocolate of all time: 70% Porcelana by Domori! (All I need now is 49% Fleur de sel. Right Girls?)
da Bears
We strolled again until we found a nice patio with pub fare, gulped down a pint each, and wolfed down beer-battered fish and chips ’till that rain chased us back to China town. I should admit that it actually down poured on us the whole walk home- but I found a teapot in the kitchenette, and we’ve got Ghostbusters on the laptop, Cheers!
We flew to Toronto, early and in very good spirits, but these days the “safer” it gets to travel by plane, so too does it become incrementally more painful. Remember peanuts and Shirley Temples? No longer my friends. Now, you can buy soggy little sandwiches in crinkling cellophane packages for $6 a pop, crummy snacks all wheat/nut free too salty or too sweet to make up for the lack of flavor, and even the movies are pay-per-view. I am saddened that the romance has been X-ray’d away.
Atmosphere brakes between the slits in the wing, and finally the ground is visible again.
We were surprised at the wind winding through the airport (although, I guess I shouldn’t have been.) One thing I always love about traveling to new cities is the change in foliage. And they really weren’t kidding about scores of maple leaves! I cannot wait until the green seeps out! The secrets of the Toronto train began to reveal themselves, and Robin and I felt our independence returning. One thing that I cannot seem to get over is that the trains in Toronto smell EXACTLY like those in New York City! I never would have thought that that scent would be so nostalgic- but now I want to go there with Robin more than ever. Were staying the weekend at a rickety converted mansion- all brick and lovely molding. The elevator reminds me of NY too- room for two people at the most, and a cinching metal lattice for peace of mind.
We ventured to the Air Canada center to watch the Festival Cup: an all-star hockey game to raise funds for Children’s right to play sports. Being that I’m not an enormous hockey fan, the highlight for me was seeing Tim Robbins right up close and in person. It was surreal and fantastic!
![](http://www.lizandrobin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/s632061115_1550337_214.jpg "The perfect suit of armour for those \\"hard\\" fought battles.")
Speaking of winter, downtown features an extensive Underground City, where one can escape from the fierce cold outside (though currently it is mild and lovely). The Underground City is essentially West Edmonton Mall, but underground (sans waterpark and pirate ships).
