Pics

Ok, here are 2 pics from this weekend. The first is the poutine. This dish is Ryan's which had bonus artery clogging toppings in addition to the gravy & cheese curds: bacon, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I had fun learning that cheese curds really do squeak--I didn't really understand it until I ate one!



This is Ryan and I at one of the vistas near the top of Mont Royal. McGill's campus and the Old Port area are behind us (I believe). No that's not how Ryan is styling his hair now--it was REALLY windy! Although there are a lot of spikey hairdo's in this town so he would fit in. :)


Ryan is at work and I am doing school/internship work from the hotel and resting my tired legs. We fly back Wed. We have many other stories and pics but I think they will make more sense together so I will wait until we can upload more photos to write about them.

Montreal

Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to let you know that we are having a great time, but the internet connection is too slow to easily upload photos. We spent yesterday walking around some different neighborhoods and parks and eating. We checked a few of our Canadian food items off our list of things to do: poutine (fries covered with cheese curds and gravy--we have pictures) and Montreal bagels. Both of which were fantastic. I like their bagels better than ours. We also stopped to have a cappuccino and, even though we were already disgusted with ourselves, indulged in a crepe with a homemade caramel sauce and chocolate ice cream--delicious! Needless to say our feet were tired and stomachs full so we came back to soak our feet in the hotel hot tub and skipped dinner. We are off to more "touristy" things today. We are going to Mont Royal this morning and then down to the Old Port area. We will try to upload a photo or two tonight.

Steph & Ryan

Bonjour de Montreal!

Hey Everyone,

Wanted to take a quick moment to say hey and post a few pictures. I have had a good time so far in Montreal. I have been pretty busy with work (as I am basically working 2 jobs), but I was able to get out and see the city this weekend. On Saturday, I probably walked 7-8 miles all throughout the city. I went to the Old Port area, which is full of French architecture and cobble stone streets. I then ventured into Chinatown and ate lunch. I had a fresh and tangy Vietnamese sandwich with 3 kinds of sliced pork covered with cilantro and carrots.

I then wandered up and down Saint Catherine Street which is probably the busiest street in Montreal. It kept raining in stages throughout the day but that gave me an opportunity to explore Montreal's vast system of underground shops and pathways. Since the winters are so cold in Montreal many of the buildings downtown are connect by underground pathways so you don't need to walk outside when its cold. There are also underground malls and shops. Pretty smart!

On Sunday, even though I was very sore from Saturday (I also ran...), I decided to summit Mount Royal, which really isn't as intense it may sound. It basically a large hill just outside downtown Montreal. At the top, there are great views of the city, which you can see below.

I am looking forward to Wednesday when Steph comes to join me. I have had fun, but I think I will enjoy the city much more with her here!

Hope everyone is doing well! Take care.

Happy 4th of July!

We had an event filled 4th of July weekend. Saturday, Ryan went for a bike ride and I went for a quick run then we took off to the Nats game. We went early to try and see batting practice but it was just too hot to sit down by home plate and watch. So we sought some shade and hung out until the game started. We picked this game because Stephen Strasburg was pitching. The stadium was packed which threw us off a little because we are used to having the whole place to ourselves. It was exciting to see that many people care though.

We were supposed to go for a bike ride together Sunday but were exhausted and knew we had another long day ahead of us. We got BBQ to-go from a local restaurant and took some watermelon and went to watch fireworks. We chose a spot near where we went last year and again it was a great combination: fantastic view across the river and not to crowded. This year we were wiser and hung out for a good hour along the river to let the metro crowds die down and it was a great choice.

The fireworks were great and I hope you enjoy our pictures. Click here for more.