Oh Canada

We crossed the border north into Canada, eh!  Anyone who has ever visited with Rhoda and Johan will understand that time in their home after a month of being transient was a real treat.  They really are the hosts with the most!  They welcomed us in with beers and great conversations from the get go.  We settled in to our rooms (flowers on the bed side tables and all) and enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by a stroll around their lovely Hamilton neighborhood. 

The next morning we started off with a tasty breakfast and then made our way out to La Primavera farm – Joann’s family farm.  Rhoda and Joann have been friends for ever and are now sisters after a fortuitous marriage to brothers.  Joann used to come and visit in Grand Rapids so it was nice to see her again and see a little bit more of what her farm is all about.  We helped Rhoda and Johan plant some potatoes (adding onion skins to help prevent blight) and then set to work seeding rye and oats in the flower fields. 

Once the seed had been sown, we took a walk into the woods, found the cabin, and had a nice dip in the pond ­– very refreshing.  

After yet another wonderful dinner with Rhoda & Johan we were off on a bike tour de Hamilton courtesy of Rhoda.       

We made it to Toronto for one fast and furious day.  We covered some pretty serious ground on our bikes and enjoyed the charged riding style of the big city – the mild topography was pretty nice too!  Some of the highlights included…a building covered in bug sculptures, Run with the Kittens, the long downhill ride on Younge, the small farmers market we stumbled upon and the blueberry ice cream we bought there.

Montreal comes highly recommended by anyone who has ever visited and it’s easy to see why.  A compact big city with bustling streets lined by cafes, restaurants, and boutiques.  The oldest section of Montreal has a very European feel to it with slightly winding narrow cobblestone streets lined by three story buildings – easy to wander.  This is where we found the Basilique Notre Dame – intricate, detailed, opulent, showy.  The side chapel had a whole different style.  It had burned down in 1978 and was rebuilt in a much more modern, yet still stunning manner - glowing gold throughout the entire chapel. 

The Oratoire St-Joseph had an entirely different feel – lofty ceilings, modern design, artistic sculpture.  Fewer tourists and near silence coupled with the magnitude of space created palpable spiritual reverence. 

We checked out the urban food production efforts that are taking place on the campus of Mc Gill University and were thoroughly impressed.  They are growing using rooftop containers and layered green roof methods to show that neglected spaces in the city can be efficiently used to grow food.  The Mc Gill program has patterned with a local meals on wheels program to produce a significant amount of the food being distributed. 

Some of the best views we had of the City of Montreal were atop Mount Royal.  The big trees and shaded trails provide a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city without having to go too far. 

We found that Montreal has no problem closing down streets to cars and letting people take them over.  They close St. Catherine for a handful of blocks every summer.  Patios are extended out into the street and pedestrians take over.  A whole section of the city was shut down for a week long music festival while we were in town.  Blocks were closed down for the display of Lamborghini and Bugatti – Grand Prix cars.  Mount Royal was shut down for at least 10 blocks for a street fare where local shops spilled their wares out into the road and street performers and strolling shoppers replaced cars.  It was amazing to see so many streets shut down at one time.  This is a far cry from the struggles many US cities have just to get a short section of street closure on a Sunday morning or afternoon.  Our wonderful couch surfing host Lara told us that they just don’t worry about making it easy for cars in Montreal.  So true!

Bicycling is the way to go in Montreal!  Cycle tracks, contra-flow bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, bike lanes, and sharrows can be found on most streets throughout the city and a Bixi station is never far away.  Riding through the City was comfortable and felt so safe.  It’s easy to see why so many people choose bikes over cars. 

Our neighbors to the north certainly treated us well on this leg of the trip.  You can find more pictures of our HERE.