My little road trip from Quebec to Montreal!

Good morning faithful friends, so here I sit this monring in the colourful city of Montreal! But before my full day of sightseeing begins I need to tell you how I got here and what my first night had in store....so grab a java and prepare yourself! 

As I bid farewell to a sunny Quebec city it was a taxi ride to the airport with a lovely Moroccan taxi driver who very helpfully me some ideas on my drive to Montreal and before I knew it I was standing before my namesake, Lisa, at the Budget rental counter.  Needless to say this transaction did not really go as smoothly as I expected and I drove away in Vera (yes my car is a Vera) with half the front bumper looking decidedly dodgy.  But Lisa assured me this was fine and would be no problem, and it was all noted on the forms so off I went (after taking loads of pictures of said damage).  Via the hotel.  I had left my lucky guardian angel charm on the headboard of my room (my Olds bought it for me when I started to travel alone and she is my good luck charm) so I had to go retrieve it.  Once that was done Vera and I were finally on our way!

With no idea if I was heading for flood, fire or pestilence (I made that last one up but it fitted in better than tornado) Vera and I trundled off under the perfect supervision of the American sat nag who was rather amusingly struggling with the French names (I'm with ya sister......)

Now we get to the journey.  It went like this.  A few hair raising km getting out of the city then the announcement 'follow the road for 255km' and that was it until I hit 30km out of Montreal.  So you will be pleased to hear that unlike my previous road trips, there will be no protracted ramblings about points of interest on route and even less pictures!  All I will say is that I was grateful of that 255km as it gave me time to relax my white knuckle grip on the wheel and get the hang of everything being on the wrong side.  I have to say I was a tad anxious!  I've driven thousands of miles, in things far larger and more difficult than Vera and on roads far more challenging, but never on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car.  Give me a hairpin  climb up a kiwi mountain in Trevor any day!

But it was a good drive, cruise control set at 95, the long straight highway stretching out before me in the glorious sunshine, pretty flat but lush green landscape interspersed with pretty homesteads, farms and cute houses, until the landscape began to change as I hit the greater Montreal area. 

Traffic.  Something else I'm not used to on my adventures (4 hours on a straight road in the Aussie outback without seeing a car is my normal road trip) But this soon eased and I was trying to follow sat nags interesting pronunciation of streets and marvelling at the amazing vista of Montreal that was appearing in front of me, gutted I couldn't record the moment in pictures.  It was truly amazing.  So with extreme care, lots of honking (at me not by me) and my cursing my lack of route planning in advance I arrived at my home for 2 nights, The Loft Hotel.

Shut the front door.  I knew it would have something to do with lofts but what I didn't know was that I would have my own loft apartment!  The joint was massive and amazing.  You know the pictures will show you but wont do it justice. Apparently it was owned by the Ford motor company as a showroom or something at one point and the lift is the old lift they used to get cars up and down in.  It had 2 chairs, drapes and mirrors and another of their signature chandeliers.  So happy to have left Vera and her sad looking bumper in the garage (sorry V) I headed out for my first little explore.

It didn't disappoint.  I was slap bang in the middle of the Latin quarter.  More funky bars and restaurants than you could ever need and a buzzing hip atmosphere (get me all down with the kidz)made more so by the university right on the doorstep. The weather was still fab but the chance of rain always there, but I wandered the street looking for my dinner spot soaking in the atmosphere, made my choice but it was heaving so I decided to stop for a quick pint at the Terrace Saint Ciboire, which was basically an empty car lot made into a bar.  Great atmosphere even if I did offend the barmaid by forgetting to tip her when I paid.  Thinking I would be there for a few more I was going to tip at the end but 'not in Montreal' she left me in no uncertain terms.

Tip dutifully paid, I sat sipping my beer in the evening sun.  Then the inevitable happened.  The heavens opened.  And of course I was in flipflops and my 2 umbrellas and 2 raincoats were back at the loft but I didn't care.  It was hot and it was buzzing and I huddled in with all the locals under the canopy and watched the world go by.  When the second drink I asked for was not forthcoming (point taken)  I headed out of the car lot come bar holding my head high and trying not to slip over in my flip flops....

I headed back down for the Mexican I had decided on, and it was still heaving but I got a good table by the open front eventually and sat ready to enjoy.  And I waited. And waited.  Finally my order taken and tortillas to tide me over placed before me, something struck me.  This area's sights and sounds were wonderful and buzzing and obviously the place to be if you are under 25.  Obviously I am not.  But I enjoyed it none the less, although I was a little disappointed with the mojito I ordered in the hope that it would arrive in the fish bowl sized glass everyone else seemed to be enjoying.  It didn't  Still I nommed on my adequate enchiladas, watching the vast array of incredible characters wandering past the open shop front wondering if I could just slip out without paying like the 2 girls opposite had just done.....when, as if reading my mind, the waiter presented me with my bill.

So I paid, and tipped, and as I wandered the 200 yards back to my loft (I had explored more than that I must add!) I was safe in the knowledge that it would be the old town for my tomorrow night (the clue is in the name there)  My huge bed awaited me the loft and I slept diagonally across it, just because I could and drifted off into a happy slumber.

And that was that, and here I sit on Thursday morning, day 7 of my Canadian adventure with hopes of good weather and the good old open top bus tour ahead of me!  So until later my friends, enjoy the pics and TTFN......xxxx