Every trip to Montreal finds us at Calories. A cake shop with endless decadent choices. This trip: Mango Cheesecake with a long espresso.
The trip offered us all the things I had hoped for: good food, good company, time to indulge in coupleness, lots of exercise and a good dose of all things urban. We spent our first evening enjoying a yummy meal with our Aunt and Uncle, only heading out for cake late in the evening. The next morning we hit the pavement, and didn't slow down:
Beautiful old buildings. Every street offers a good photograph:
The best food we had was in a small trendy cafe on St. Denis. I didn't want fries. I wanted more sophisticated fare. I had warm goat cheese salad, with a butter croissant and carrot & curry soup. Plus, a cafe-au-lait with an amandine. Mmmmm.
Chez Cafeo:
After lunch, the boys went for a movie while we girls did a bit of shopping. I am proud to report that though I lovingly carried around a beautiful french tablecloth for awhile, I left it behind before we reached the cash. My "shopping" costs did not exceed $2.99 this trip. And with that I purchased a Montreal restaurant guide.
Because I chose our lunch location, I let the guys chose dinner. Sure enough we hit a Bar & Grill just off St. Catherine. The food didn't interest me much, so I had an appetizer, but the guys ate huge plates of fries and greasy food. I'm happy they were happy.
Parc Nature Cap-du-St.-Jacques
After lunch, the boys went for a movie while we girls did a bit of shopping. I am proud to report that though I lovingly carried around a beautiful french tablecloth for awhile, I left it behind before we reached the cash. My "shopping" costs did not exceed $2.99 this trip. And with that I purchased a Montreal restaurant guide.Because I chose our lunch location, I let the guys chose dinner. Sure enough we hit a Bar & Grill just off St. Catherine. The food didn't interest me much, so I had an appetizer, but the guys ate huge plates of fries and greasy food. I'm happy they were happy.
Parc Nature Cap-du-St.-Jacques
Sunday morning, despite reports of -20 degree weather, I convinced everyone to attempt the ski trails. We said our farewells to Aunt Laura and Uncle George and drove 25 short minutes to the park. Once there, we decided to try the mid-level "Beaver trail." That suited me fine, since I remember how arduous the "Squirrel" trail was that Aidan and I tackled two years ago.
The weather was gorgeous. The sun shone through the trees in a blue sky. We didn't notice the cold. When you are working that hard the body keeps warm. We had many laughs as there seemed to always be a man-down, fallen awkwardly in a heap of skis and snow gear. I managed to fall only once, boasting the best record, but of course, when one has that much belly to heave back up again, it leaves a lasting determination not to repeat the experience.
When we pulled into the lodge around 2:00 we were all very ready for the warm car ride home."Oh, I am going to hurt," said Kate once we were rolling, " I can feel it in my legs." All said and done, the Grand Total of hard foot travel, walking and skiing combined, for the 7-month pregnant mama: 20-25 km.
The weather was gorgeous. The sun shone through the trees in a blue sky. We didn't notice the cold. When you are working that hard the body keeps warm. We had many laughs as there seemed to always be a man-down, fallen awkwardly in a heap of skis and snow gear. I managed to fall only once, boasting the best record, but of course, when one has that much belly to heave back up again, it leaves a lasting determination not to repeat the experience.
When we pulled into the lodge around 2:00 we were all very ready for the warm car ride home."Oh, I am going to hurt," said Kate once we were rolling, " I can feel it in my legs." All said and done, the Grand Total of hard foot travel, walking and skiing combined, for the 7-month pregnant mama: 20-25 km.
Post 24-hour Diagnosis: Soooooooo Sore! My knees, my back, my inner legs.. . .
I truly loved the exertion though. And we spent the weekend doing what we loved. . . TOGETHER. That's worth all the pain.
I truly loved the exertion though. And we spent the weekend doing what we loved. . . TOGETHER. That's worth all the pain.
