Saturday, September 13th
We flew in to Burlington, Vermont, picked up our rental car (a Pontiac G6 with XM radio and two ill-placed cup holders), and headed north to the border. I've driven to Montreal before, but never via Vermont. I gotta say: Vermont is really pretty. Rocky/hilly and seriously wooded. It's odd, though, because once you cross into Quebec, the terrain is flatter and there are notably fewer trees. The change is almost as instantly noticeable as the fact that the border guard spoke mainly French.
We got into Montreal just a hair ahead of time and met up with my aunt Marie at her "residence"--a kind of high-rise retirement home. We were also staying there, and she showed us to our 16th-floor studio apartment with it's eastern view of the Montreal skyline, including the St. Lawrence River and Mont Royal.
After a quick settle-in, we met up in Marie's apartment for "apero" (aperitifs) and what Marie called a "light snack." So... let's see... there were the drinks. Then there were crackers with a shrimp salad on them while we chatted. For dinner, it was Marie's "pot luck" (basically Shepherd's pie, with veggies and meat in a wonderful brown gravy and mashed potatoes on top). Before dessert, we had a really wonderful cheese course, and that was followed by a chilled pineapple dessert. Wow. Good thing it was only a light snack.
The sunset happened between the hors d'oeuvres and dinner. It was a glorious red sky, as warm as the conversation, although it didn't last nearly as long.
Sunday, September 14th
Christopher and I started with breakfast at Marie's, then went on our way into downtown Montreal. Minor problem: Sunday was the day of the Montreal marathon. So we detoured all over the place, including driving through Marie's old neighborhood! Because it was a damp day--not rainy, but dreary--we eventually found ourselves at the Musee des Beaux Arts, where we saw the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. On our way home, we took the road over the Mont Royal, stopping for a few pictures on the way down.
Dinner on Sunday night was one of our main reasons for going to Montreal. Not only did we get to spend the evening with Marie, but also to finally meet a couple of my "cousins" (well... sort of... cousins by marriage) whom I had heard about for years. They arrived around 4:30, and although we had only just met, we fell into conversations, and cross-conversations, immediately. Oh... and the food...
We started with more of the shrimp crackers, this time with veggies and dip, as we had some good Canadian beers. We moved to champagne before we moved to the table, then a very nice wine to go with our Chicken Savoyarde (that's with swiss cheese in a white sauce, garnished with shredded vegetables) and bread and veggies. Sunday's cheese course included Oka cheese (made by Trappist monks), among others. And dessert was an amazing homemade strawberry pie with ice cream.
We snapped a few pictures before the end of the evening, but nothing will compete with being there!
(Stay tuned for Part 2)
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