After that amazing dinner at Restaurant L'Initiale, the rest of our trip to Quebec was very nice, but not quite as spectacular. We got up on Friday morning, enjoyed the nifty air-jet tub, and went downstairs for breakfast.
Have I mentioned the breakfasts at the Auberge Saint-Pierre? There is a small breakfast room with an open kitchen and a menu of pretty nifty foods. From plain toast to full-on breakfast to--my favorite on our last morning--a modified Egg McMuffin, they served it all. I'd say it was with a smile, but the "waiter" was a little too brusque for that cliche.
We checked out of the hotel, our car was brought up by the Valet parking guys, and we were on our way. And, luckily, after only two or three tight turns, we were back onto "normal-sized" streets and roads as we made our way north of Quebec to the Parc de la chute Montmorency (Montmorency Falls Park).
We'd heard alot about the falls, because they are actually taller than Niagara Falls (about 85 meters), but not as wide. Arriving at the visitor center, we debated whether to take the cable car up or down.
The stairs didn't look that bad, so we opted to walk up them and take the cable car down (we also figured it might be less painful on our knees than walking down the stairs). I'd love to say we jogged up the stairs with no problems but... well... there's about 450 stairs. We stopped at each landing for photos--okay... and to catch our breath--because the views were really stunning.
At the top we hiked around so that we could cross the suspension bridge over the falls, then made our way to the cable car. It was a pretty enough ride, but I have to say that the trek up the stairs gave us much better views. Something to be said for hard work, I guess.
We arrived back in Montreal in the mid-afternoon and settled back into our room. We did some packing for our trip home the next day, and then picked up my aunt so we could go to dinner at the residence next door. La Bonne Adresse restaurant is actually shared by the people who live in the residence, as well as the general public. Marie had booked our reservation about a month earlier, having seen a flyer stating that a performer would be there performing songs by French singer Gilbert Becaud.
La Bonne Adresse is pretty unassuming. The decor looks--except for the fact that it has a bar--like the dining hall in a dormitory. But the winelist was decent, the Carrot, Orange and Ginger soup was surprisingly flavorful, and the Prime Rib was almost perfectly done. We spent the evening talking, reminiscing and listening to the singer. We even sang along with the rest of the crowd a few times before walking back across the joined parking lots and settled in for our final night.
Montreal/Burlington, September 20th
Our last morning in Montreal was more mundane than it probably should have been. Marie decided that we should go out for breakfast (although neither Marie nor I actually eat breakfast on a regular basis), after which we dropped Marie off at Les Halles for some shopping and headed south after waving one last good-bye.
Well... we meant to head south. I'm not sure which direction we actually headed for a while. Since I had only printed out directions from Burlington to Montreal--and not from Montreal to Burlington--we missed a turn. But it only took us a few miles to realize it, so thanks to Christopher's luck in choosing which unknown turn to take, we still made it through Customs (with only one car ahead of us!) and down to Burlington with plenty of time to spare.
By the way... Burlington, Vermont--at least for people mainly heading to the airport--is an oddly-arranged town. We seemed to keep driving back and forth on parallel lines. We eventually found a bookstore (Christopher had finished his book in Montreal) and a pizza place (our flight wasn't until 4:30, and there wouldn't be a chance for dinner until 9 or 10 at night), then headed for the airport and we were homeward bound.
**sidenote** If you want to buy Maple Sugar Candy, we found that you really need to buy it at the kitschy gift shops in the touristy areas of Montreal and Quebec. We honestly couldn't find any anywhere else--not in the grocery stores, and not even along the road in the little shops selling fruits and vegetables and local honey. Which is why no one in either of our families got Maple Sugar Candy upon our arrival home. **end sidenote**
Amazingly enough, our flights were right on time. (If you know us, you know why that's so exciting.) With the help of one of Christopher's sisters, we were home from the airport in no time, unpacking mementos and maps and that incredible menu from L'Initiale and doing our best to settle back into the day-to-day life. Overall, we seem to be doing okay at moving toward our old normalcy.
Well... maybe a new normalcy. After all, the other night when we had a friend over to look at photos we served a soft brie and a tarragon chicken salad over crackers instead of just chips and salsa. And Christopher tried a brand new yeast-dough-based sweet puff pastry today, while I'm prepped to make Marie's amazing Chewy Bars tomorrow. Obviously this trip--and the glow of Marie's hospitality--is going to be staying with us for a while.
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