We arrived in Montreal on an overnight bus that brought us from New York. It was a fairly smooth 8 hour journey but we didn't get a lot of sleep so we were excited to be able to check in to our AirBnB condo in Saint Henri early and have a chill day. The place was amazing - with the owner away, we had the whole condo to ourselves and enjoyed the balcony, Netflix and even a bath, plus the opportunity to wash some clothes and have some home cooked meals. All the comforts of home for under $40 a night! We immediately contacted the owner and requested an extra night making it 4 nights total. In our 6 months of travelling to this point it was very rare for us to stay in one place for this long, so we were looking forward to a bit of a rest and relaxation.
The next day we dragged ourselves back into gear and went to explore Montreal. With its well planned metro system, it is an easy city to get around. We started with the old city, which had a very European feel and lots of amazing places to eat out, if you had the budget for such things. We then soaked up some sun at the old port, enjoying the markets, parks and live music there and wandered through the mall looking for gifts.
Our third day we caught the metro out to Mont Royal to do some hiking. We arrived at the parklands at the base of the mountain and realised that we had stumbled across some sort of mass hippie gathering. There were blankets laid out everywhere with people selling all their handmade bits and pieces and lots of old shirtless men gyrating to the beat of some tribal drums. We found a nice little patch of grass and just people watched for a while before we began our ascent up Mont Royal. It was only a short hike but the heat and humidity were intense, but we were rewarded with beautiful views over the city from the top. We took a different route on the way down and came across a lovely lake which seems to be the local hotspot for sunbathers. After a bit of a rest here we made our way back to the metro and got off a couple of stops before home to check out the Atwater markets. We straight away regretted our decision to do our shoppong at the local supermarket the previous day because the food looked amazing. We walked the rest of the way home along the Lachine Canal which ran right behind our accommodation.
Our final day we caught the metro under the river to Saint Helen Island. After having done a lot of walking the past couple of days we decided to take it pretty easy today with regular stops to relax in the beautiful gardens on this island. We stopped by the Biosphere but after seeing the admission prices we were more than happy to just admire this museum from the outside. While walking around we came across what we thought might be a beaver. I have never seen Karen so excited, chasing this little animal all over going crazy with the camera. It wasn't until a few days later that we found out that it was a groundhog which is a lot less exciting.
While in Canada we wanted to get out of the cities and see a bit more of what this country had to offer, so we hired a car for a couple of days for a quick trip to Mont Tremblant National Park in the Laurentian mountains. It took some time to adjust to sitting on the wrong side of the car and driving on the wrong side of the road, couple this with having no idea where the hell we were going and you're in for an interesting few hours. We arrived early afternoon (after getting a bit lost in the overpasses) and went to Tremblant resort, a cute little ski village by a lake at the base of a mountain. We enjoyed a short walk there with nice views, chipmunks and a giant red chair. A scenic drive and a stop for supplies took us back to our self-contained apartment with balcony and forest views.
The next day we drove into the Diable sector of the national park, stopping for several short walks through maple, birch and pine forests which had views of lakes, valleys and waterfalls. It was absolutely beautiful and just what we imagined Canada would look like. It would have been a perfect day if it wasn't for all of the bugs. They were relentless! Despite her insect repellant, Kaz came home covered head to toe in insect bites so I should have been happy with just having 2 bites but I still complained. As we parked the car for our first hike of the day we could see the cloud of bugs slowly grow larger and larger outside the windows. We tried not to let this stop us but our hikes turned into more of a light jog while flailing our arms in the air. Our planned outdoor picnic lunch turned into a front seat of the car picnic lunch and our plans for a relaxing kayak on the lake were quickly forgotten.
On one of our walks we heard some rustling in the bushes. After having seen some signs for bears and wolves you can't imagine my relief to see a little deer emerge. It was the best case scenario. The deer sightings along with a number of squirrels and chipmunks were the highlights in a day which didn't quite go to plan. We look back on this day now and have a chuckle so at least it was good for that.
Our next day was a transport day, driving back to Montreal then hopping on a bus to Toronto with Megabus. As we neared the halfway point of the journey our driver informed us that there would be a break coming up where we would get a different driver and a chance to go to the toilet and get something to eat. After only a few minutes the new driver jumped in the driver seat and just started driving, without some of the passengers. One lady was missing 3 members of her family and another girl was missing her friend. At first we just thought the driver was unaware of the missing people but even when the old lady was hysterically screaming up the front of the bus he refused to stop. We were literally driving down the main road when he finally gave in and let the passengers that were running along beside the bus back on. This guy broke the mould of the stereotypical kind and polite Canadian that I had grown up believing in, what a letdown. The rest of the journey to Toronto was quite boring in comparison.....
In Toronto that evening we caught up with Kulsam, a friend who we had met in Africa a few years ago. She took us out to her favorite burger place and then gave us our first poutine experience. It was basically just a tray of chips heavily lathered in cheese and a number of different sauces. Very filling, especially after our burgers. She showed us the downtown area of the city by night which was amazing and so much easier than trying to navigate our own way around a foreign city. We stayed at the Toronto Travelers Home (disorganized and simple but cheap and in an excellent location).
The next day we explored more of Toronto, including Kensington market, the University buildings with their nice architecture, Yonge-Douglas square, St Lawrence market, the trendy Distillery district and the waterfront.
We caught an afternoon bus to Niagra falls where we checked in to the Scottish Inn (neat, clean and close to the Clifton Hill district and falls). We were surprised at how happening it was - sort of like a mini Vegas, all lit up and with lots of attractions like wax museums, a ferris wheel, mini golf, casino and loads of restaurants. The falls themselves were amazing and were able to be viewed for free from a long pathway, a nice change from other major waterfalls we'd been to. They also put on a free light and fireworks show which was short but very sweet. The next morning we spent more time taking in the falls before lunch with another friend, Erwin, who we had met in Jordan. His friendly new wife, Maria joined us as well and we spent a lovely couple of hours catching up at Elements restaurant which had delicious food, reasonable prices and great views over Horseshoe falls. We could have spent longer there but unfortunately had a bus back to Toronto in the late arvo.
The next day in Toronto we took in some summer celebrations with a family street festival, another walk through downtown and then a ferry trip to Centre Island, from which we had great views over the city skyline and time to relax in the parks with books and in the terrace of a pub with a beer/sangria.
We then headed 40 minutes out of the city to Missisauga for our first couchsurfing experience with Pierre and Sargam. They were very friendly hosts and we had a lot in common. They welcomed us into their condo and even let us use the facilities, which included gym, pool and rooftop garden. It was another good chance to relax for a couple of days. We have both loved the condo living experience and may have to look at moving house when we get back.
We took an uber to the airport - a great new way to travel - and our first flight to Halifax went smoothly. Unfortunately our connecting flight had mechanical issues (the plane was turning when it wasn't supposed to) so we were delayed overnight. This didn't bother me at all, I'm a nervous flyer at the best of times so if a plane has "mechanical issues" you couldn't pay me enough to get on it. The delay didn't bother us too much, we have a very flexible schedule, one of the perks of long term travel. After hours of waiting in the airport, they took us to a nice hotel where we eventually got news of our flight - leaving at midnight the following day. So we made the most of the opportunity to live it up in some nice accommodation with cable tv, room service and a luxurious bathroom.
So not the best ending to our time in Canada, but an awesome country nonetheless and one that we'll definitely have to come back to in order to explore more of its rugged natural beauty.
