Montreal

June 1

Whenever we get together with Marjorie and Martin time slows right down and yet the day is filled with activities.  

It began with a delicious breakfast of French crepes / Mennonite pancakes, a nod to both of their heritages.   

Deux Montange is very near to a variety of farms:  orchards, wineries, and vegetable growers to name a few.  Early in the morning Marjorie went to a vegetable farm to get her weekly basket of fresh produce. This included a delicious tomato, cucumbers and greens which we enjoyed in toasted sandwiches for lunch. 

Marjorie took us on a tour around the countryside which included a visit to a honey farm. Intermiel  has thousands of beehives all over Quebec and produces a large variety of honey products.  We went away with some golden rod honey and a bottle of mead, a honey wine. 

Next we went to a lavender farm, La Maison Lavande.  The lavender plants weren’t blooming yet but I can imagine a field of purple flowers and the smell of lavender in the air.  We could walk around the fields and enjoy the relaxing hammock swings.  What a beautiful place and clever ideas for making shopping for lavender products an experience. 

In the afternoon we took the bus and Metro to the Old Port tourist area in Montreal. It was a bit cool to wander outside too long so we walked through a variety of artisan shops admiring the arts and crafts. We settled on a restaurant for supper, L'Usine de Spaghetti and timed it just right. As we left, the line was out the door.  

In the evening we attended the Concours Montreal International Violin competition semi-finals.  Marjorie and Martin enjoy music and suggested we all attend.  It was wonderful to listen to two incredibly talented young musicians each give an hour long recital in a beautiful old church renovated into a concert hall. I think they were both winners.  I’m glad I wasn’t the judge.  What a beautiful way to end the day.  

June 2

Our time with our cousins ended with them joining us for breakfast at our trailer before we had to pack up and leave. And when we began to pack up the rain began. Dave was completely soaked.  

And so the drive began, in the rain and it rained all day.  The south shore of Quebec is so pretty but it was hidden in the rain and clouds and even fog at times.   As it was not much for camping weather we drove on to Edmunston and camped at Walmart.  We have battery power and a tank full of water so we’re good.