Once we got into our slip and checked in, we walked around the city looking for a place to get some breakfast. The first place we went in was still cleaning up and when we looked at the menu, there were about 4 options for breakfast, none of which I thought any of the kids would eat. There was a crepe that was ham, cheese, and maple syrup. I didn't get it but thought the inspiration for it came straight from Elf! (Bear refuses to eat eggs- and always has, even when I was pregnant with her- so that always limits her options.) We left and kept walking the town and found a crêperie. This was the kids' first experience with crêpes and all of the ones we ordered, both sweet and savory were delicious.
Then, we walked to the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal. Ticket total was $30ish more to get the combo tix for the 5 of us to do the daytime tour and the evening light show, so we bought the combo. Inside, it was BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely breathtaking. We lit a candle for 3 different retired firefighters who have cancer. The kids were done exploring after a short time in there, but were patient with me while I tried to read the English portion of every sign, admire the stained glass, and just soak it all in.
On our list for Montréal was to get to a grocery store to restock our fresh milk supply. In addition to that, we got a bunch of random treats, some of which my friend, Jenn, told us to buy, and others were pure impulse buys. We bought ketchup chips, Smarties (no relation to our Smarties- they are like a flatter m&m- chocolate with a candy colored coating), Oh Henry, marshmallow chocolate dipped cookie things, and some other random treats. No maple syrup purchased yet, but there was a whole section of maple products at the store. They had maple sugar in a shaker container that Ben wanted but we weren't prepared to stop at a grocery store on this specific outing, so we didn't get any maple products. We will soon!
Also, they sell milk in bags. We were trying to decide how they are used. The bags are not resealable. We think it is a thing you pour into your own dispenser. Inside the bigger bags, there are 6 or so smaller bags/bladders of milk. If you know, please enlighten us. They also sold a 3% carton, so we got that to try.
Montréal reminds me a lot of Boston, NYC (less crowded!), and Philly. Every street corner, I look up and down, not only to check for oncoming cars, but also to look at the variety of architecture in the buildings. They are different on every block!
We went back to the basilica for the 6 pm light show. It said to arrive 15 minutes early because they don't let anyone in after the show starts. We had a slight detour in our course and arrived in the line outside of the building at 5:47. When we got into the church, it was really dark and looked like no seating available. The back filled up first, and there was more seating closer to the front. We got a pew about halfway to the altar, which I was concerned meant that we would miss a big chunk of the show behind us. The show didn't start until 6:07, but was amazing to see! Our seats wound up being perfect and I don't think I'd have wanted to sit any further back. We weren't allowed to take any videos or photos, but if you check the website, you get a little idea of what it was like. Everyone's reactions to the show: Roo- "That was SO COOL!! You could see the projections and the lasers. So cool. This. Was. So. Cool." Moose- "I liked it, like it looked like Star Wars when they were shooting their blasters and stuff at some points and it made it trippy like an optical illusion." Bear- "It was AMAZING and so fun!" Ben- "That was way cooler than the tour!" Lisa- "It was really cool! I liked the lasers mixed with the fog to make it look like there were flat, glass prisms in the air. I also liked the loud organ music."
We walked to Rue Saint-Paul to find dinner and found Slice & Soda and got a piece of pizza each. Roo didn't finish hers, so we gave it to a homeless man sitting just outside the restaurant who was very thankful.
On our way back to the marina, they found a dessert shop and stopped for ice cream with churros and cotton candy. I had a few churros and called it good. Too much sugar for me! We stopped at a souvenir shop and then returned to the Cartermaran for the night.
The next morning, we got up and walked to breakfast at Allô Mon Coco, recommended by one of Ben's friends who was just in Montréal. We had an assortment of orders including waffles, fruit, eggs, crepes, and poutine. I had a breakfast poutine topped with maple fried chicken, waffles, and cheese curds. It was delicious- just the right amount of sweet and savory all at once! Bear had a fruit crêpe. Roo had a banana and Nutella waffle. Moose had a breakfast collection of eggs, potatoes, sausage, and fruit. Ben had eggs and potatoes with a strawberry and creme crêpe with Nutella. All was very enjoyable and tasty!
We walked to the Olympic Torch and Rings displays and then walked back to the boat. We hung out there for a bit, did laundry, watched movies, AND found out that the Carillon Lock is up and running again! HOORAY!! This news means we will get to ride the Saint Lawrence current back a little bit before turning off. This time it'll be in our favor!
Walked to the Clock Tower and watched the Saint Lawrence River and educated the kids on the current and whirlpools and the dangers of them. We walked around to the giant Ferris Wheel and rode it! The max height was 62.6 meters (205' 4.5"). It was scary for me and the kids at first, but we went around 3 rotations and each time was more relaxed and enjoyable. We walked to Place Jacques Cartier for cremepuffs and watched a street performer, who mostly was talking and we never actually saw the performance. Stopped at one more souvenir shop for our magnet, then went back to the boat and to bed. We knew we were getting up early to get to our first lock before the 9 am opening, as they only lock through at 9 and 1.
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