2 May 2010

We have enjoyed a lovely couple of days in Montreal as the weather has slowly warmed up - hard to believe it was a snowstorm just 4 days ago and today we were in t-shirts and feeling rather hot!

Our time in Montreal flew by - we so enjoyed the friendliness and cultural diversity of this unique city. Some of our highlights over the last few days included:

·Watching Montreal Canadiens beating the Washington Capitals in the ice-hockey playoffs - a big event here!!! Ice hockey is played every night here!

·We walked up Mont Royal - a stunning garden park that overlooks Montreal (from where Montreal got its name) -a beautiful 1.5 hour stroll through the elm, conifer, and birch forest that is happily habitated with squirrels (although you see squirrels in all the cities we have been in North America - it feels better to see them here, where there are no cars and few predators).

·Explored the old quarter of Montreal, which is very Parisian - full of art galleries, cafes, restaurants and artisan works. Had lunch here with Gordon and Phoebe - Gordon was a colleague of Lynda's when he was at DSE. Lunch was stunning and was complemented with a live jazz band

·Had dinner at a jazz club that was very Parisian/Bohemian and quirky - maroon velvet ceiling drapes, art décor lights, huge crystal chandeliers, wrought iron and Chesterfield lounges - just fantastic!

·Went to see a fantastic Italian film at a little art-house cinema near our hotel - "Il pranzo di ferragosto" or in English "Mid-August Dinner" - do go and see it if you get a chance - it brings another perspective to healthy ageing, great food, friendship and love!!

We are currently sitting in an airport hotel in Toronto, having flown here today from Montreal - we are getting on an early morning flight to Havana, Cuba in the morning!!! So, you might not hear from us for a while, but when we get back on line we hope to have many photos and stories to share with you.

Adios, Lynda and Rachel