Travel

Parc Jean-Drapeau public art

/ Greg / 2 Comments

One of my earliest travel memories is an afternoon I spent with my dad in Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal in 1981. I was seven years old, and on what was to be my first trip to see my Montreal Expos, a major league baseball strike killed those games (why I still love this sport is beyond me – strikes took away my first games as a child and then my team for good as an adult), leaving us with some extra time to explore the city. We used some of that extra time to tour the park, and the memory of first seeing Alexander Calder’s sculpture “L’Homme” still exists in my mind.

When I was in Montreal for work back in April, I used the little time around the edges of the conference I was attending to visit some old favourites, including wandering around Parc Jean-Drapeau to visit a number of pieces of public art. One of the first pieces on my tour was “L’Arc” by Michel de Broin. Up close, this sculpture looks like it’s made of organic materials and has the appearance of a real tree. Interestingly, it’s made of high performance concrete.  It was a mind-bender when I touched this piece.

L'Arc by Michel de Broin

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Craft beer sampling in Montreal

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Since I moved to Saskatchewan, I have realized that I have moved to a place that is a little behind other parts of Canada in the craft beer revolution. In a couple of months in my new province, I have sampled most of the craft beers available. So, on my recent trips, I’m making sure to get my craft beer experimentation in before stepping on the plane to come back home. In Montreal for a few days back in April, I managed to find a few new favourites.

On an afternoon with a couple of free hours, I made a stop at Dieu du Ciel and fell in love with their bar. It would be a routine hangout location for me if I lived in Montreal. Of my time in the city, two of the best beers I tried were from this sampling selection: the Aphrodisiaque/Aphrodite stout (second from the left) and the Rigor Mortis Blonde (on the far right). Also not too shabby was the Blanche Van de Plateau (second from the right).  All in all, a great tasting experience.

Flight at Dieu du Ciel!

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Bucket list Montreal meals

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There were two restaurants in Montreal I had always wanted to visit for a meal – Joe Beef and Au Pied de Cochon.  Feeling like my body was ready for more foie gras in two nights than the previous 41 years of my life put together, I started with dinner at Joe Beef the night I arrived in Montreal.

Sadly, my wife wasn’t able to join me as we had planned as she was tending to our sick dog back on the east coast.  With me having already moved out to Saskatoon, this was to be a catch-up weekend of some good meals in a city we both love.  Without a dining companion, I saddled up to the bar, still eager to sample a few dishes.  And what a selection there was.  I stared at the evening’s menu on the chalkboard for some time before finally deciding on a plan.

Chalk board menu at Joe Beef

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Montreal murals

/ Greg / 4 Comments

Montreal has a vibrancy and energy that is unmistakeable. The city oozes culture from every pore.  Animated conversations over a glass of wine rise from sidewalk patios. A world’s worth of music spills into the street from homes and bars. There’s a rich selection of public art – some historic, and some modern, abstract and mind bending. And then there are the murals.  Sides of buildings in Little Italy, Little Burgundy and along Saint-Laurent Boulevard make for an open air art gallery and turn even a short stroll for a coffee into a memorable experience. These are a few of my favourite murals from a few days of walks around beautiful Montreal.

From an evening stroll in Little Burgundy near the Marché Atwater before a meal at Joe Beef:

Montreal mural

Montreal mural

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Montreal food favourites

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I’ve spent enough time in Montreal to have a few go to food places.  A trip to the city isn’t complete without a couple of staples.  These are mostly things you already know about Montreal, and I’m not ashamed that my list isn’t one of under the radar places.  All of these are wonderful and deserved of the attention they receive (well, maybe all except the last on my list).

First off, every trip to Montreal needs a stop for a Schwartz’s smoked meat sandwich, a dill pickle and a black cherry Cott cola.  I’ve sampled some of the world’s great sandwiches and this is one of my all time favourites.

Schwartz's smoked meat sandwich

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Plaza de España

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When I first set foot in Seville, it immediately felt of its place.  That might sound a bit odd, but the narrow streets, the orange trees, the humidity, the scent it gave off… although I had never been here before, it was unmistakably Seville. Although all of the city that I was able to explore felt this way, one of the places I most wanted to visit, the Plaza de España, was so new relative to the historic city I wasn’t sure if it would have that same feeling.  Built in the late 1920s for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and mixing a number of Spanish architectural styles, it felt like it had been here for centuries.

Plaza de España

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An epic road trip

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I live in an enormous, beautiful country, and sadly, I’ve seen more of western Europe than I have of Canada. Over the next week and a bit, I’m going to change that equation. As the final part of my family’s move from Halifax to Saskatoon, I’m flying back to New Brunswick to reunite with my wife and my dog after six weeks apart. We’ll load up the car, say a goodbye to my in-laws and kick off a journey of nearly 4,000km from Nackawic, NB to downtown Saskatoon to start our lives together on the prairies.

Since our dog isn’t able to fly, this part of our move will be an epic road trip (thanks Chewy, I owe you for this!).  Many have asked if we’ll cut through the USA on the drive.  Not a bloody chance.  That might shave a few hours off the trip, but I want to do this on my side of the border.  I want to drive alongside Lake Superior, see the giant nickel in Sudbury, visit the Terry Fox monument in Thunder Bay and do whatever it is they do in Brandon.  I’ve stocked my iPad with driving entertainment reflective of the journey we’re on: Taggart and Torrens “Canadianity” podcasts to keep us laughing and a playlist of Canadian music emblematic of the vast span of highways we’ll traverse.

Eight days, two humans and a four legged furry dude in a Honda Fit driving through Montreal, North Bay, the Sault, Kenora, small towns in Manitoba and into Saskatchewan.   Here’s to something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  No new stamp in my passport on this trip, and that’s more than ok with me.

 

Feel the Rush

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I’ve been to my share of interesting sporting events on my travels.  So it felt pretty natural to buy a ticket to a lacrosse match for my first Saturday night in my new hometown of Saskatoon.   I had watched parts of a few games on TV, but hadn’t had the chance to take in a game in person.  I had no idea what I was in for.

Without a car, I hopped a very convenient express bus out to the SaskTel Centre, the home (field? arena?) of the Saskatchewan Rush, the only professional sports team in Saskatoon.  The early bus gave me some time to get familiar with what is now my home rink.  Although located in the middle of nowhere, it’s pretty nice all in all.

At the Saskatchewan Rush game

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