j'adore montreal- the (almost) endless post

Montreal.

Ah, the French language!

The crepes!

The shopping!

We arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Fairmont Hotel and these sweet candies were everywhere.

Our first taste of French-literally!

(Anana (Pineapple), Citron (Lemon) and Raisin (Grape))

The famous John Lennon "Sleep In" pictures were taken at this hotel- one floor above ours.

Navigating through Montreal.

The first place I had to find.

Starbucks.

There was one (hip hip) in the airport!

And even more (hurrah!) in the city.

(Tim Horton's were everywhere but I didn't see a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte on their menu.)

Birk's Jewelry Store.

Like Tiffany's- but French!

They even serve afternoon tea.

Lovely.

Looking out over the city.

It was a bit intimidating as I'm noooot quiiite the fearless leader.

But I became one.;)

Crepes.

avec jambon et fromage (ham and cheese)

ou peut-être

Nutella (the same in any language!) and ice cream?

Oui, s'il vous plait.

I opted for the fresh fruit dish to save calories but my girls were sweet and shared bites with me.

Love.

Even the scent of crepes is divine- light and sweet....

What would you have ordered?

Venturing into Vieux Montreal. (Old Montreal)

Took a turn into China Town which was... interesting.

This looks more like it (below).

Then, the sky opened up and drenched us.

We were even blasted with sand.

(Where did that come from?)

It was a holiday and most of the shops were closed, but luckily we found an Oriental boutique open and we dashed inside.

The owner offered us coffee and even plastic trash bags to shelter us from the storm.  We were charmed by her hospitality.

We dined in a charming French restaurant for dinner.  The food was delicious and the waiter was even a bit snobby. 

Bring it. 

We wanted the real experience and it was on.

We decided to go back to the crepe restaurant again the next day as we adored Elmira, our waitress. She was the first person to truly make us feel welcome.

Why are they smiling?

Look below.

Here we are with Elmira.

Kindness is the same in any language.:)

French fries + cheese curds + gravy + brisket = Poutin.

Not the prettiest picture as we devoured it so quickly.

You must try it if you go to Montreal.  

YUM.

Then we were off to Mt. Tremblant.

The town and the Fairmont Hotel were truly gorgeous.

The view from one of the three windows on our room.

Yes, 3!

It was luxurious.

View from another window.

See the ski lift?

We rode the ski ride.

Is that what they call it (below)?

Skiers use it in the winter.

In the summer it's for the lazy ones that don't want to walk to the shops.;)

Umi, the canine ambassador of Mt. Tremblant's Fairmont Hotel.

Yep, a canine ambassador.

Now this is my idea of a vacation.

Reading by the pool.

Drinks by the pool.

followed by lunch by the pool, too.

(Thanks, Sweetie)

Don't they look good (below)??

The apple on the left had me laying low, (really, really low) for a good 18 hours.

Blech.

My little one had chosen it just for me.  

Bless her heart- she knows Mommy loves coconut.

That will never change.

But I love her so much more.

Once I bounced back we headed to LUSH!

"Playdough"soap to wash and play with.

Super fun.

So many bath balls!

Makes me consider giving up showers.

It was cold at night by the end of our trip.

Imagine that in June.

GAP to the rescue!

Rue St. Catherine was the place to be.

Amazing shopping and restaurants.

The girls and I had lots of fun at Chapters book store.

This majestic church was right next to our hotel in the city.

All sounds of the city were erased once you entered in.

Beauty inside and outside it's walls.

I tried to limit my pictures, since it was a church, but felt compelled to capture just a bit of the architecture.

Breathtaking.

The light in the city of Montreal was amazing.

My older daughter told me she could easily live there.

smile.

Most of the French was translated but some things are self explanatory.

I'd love to know who lives here.

She (of course) must be a happy person.

Vieux Montreal.

Charming.

Begonias.

Notre Dame of Montreal.

One pane open.

I was charmed, once again.

Colored glass and flags.

Begging to be photographed.

Pink skies after a rain storm.

Olympic Park

Ride up into this and see the whole city.

(It looked like you were being sucked up into a space ship!)

Bio-Dome visit

Monkeys and Macaws

Any guess as to what this is?

It's a SLOTH!

Peaceful creatures that live in the rain forest.

I love them!

Driving back to the city.

The colors...

History...

Menu at the Queen Elizabeth

Mt. Tremblant

Little French girl;)

Riding up the mountain so they can ride down in the LUGE!

Here they come!

I do believe this was their favorite part of the trip.;)

Laughing and racing all the way down!

"Much better than the city"- my younger daughter

"I want to go back to the city."- my older daughter.

Isn't that always the way?

We weren't completely lazy.

We walked up the hill a few times.

(We didn't realize the sky ride closed at 5)

The beds at the Fairmont hotels were beyond comfy.

I'd go back just to sleep in the beds.

Trails.

The concierge said the short one was 20 minutes long but it ended up taking almost 1 1/2 hours.

Huh?

(Good thing I slept in that day)

Here they come again!

With a new rider.

They rode the Luge at least 10 times each.

Good times.

Good bye, Montreal.

We miss you already.