Does Anyone Know A Cure For Snow Capped Mountain Withdrawal?

Greetings from Montreal (Mount Royal).  It is like we are in a different country!  Nature has been replaced by culture, forests by buildings and bears by people - lots of them!

Ottawa - Canberra of Canada in so many ways was very pleasant, Quebec City so French!  I really enjoyed the feel and look forward to another day there next week as a port on our cruise.  Montreal - well - am pretty underwhelmed but that's OK.

Fairmonts impressed without exception



Canadian Federal House of Parliament (Peace Tower in centre)



View from top of the Peace Tower

Ottawa canal at sunset

Quebec

Montreal

The reason we chose this tour at this time was for the Fall colours.  The great weather I have been bragging about has meant the colours are not what we had hoped for yet but we are holding out hope for the coming days.  The weather is cooler, in fact quite cold today, so with the predicted frosts eventuating we may still be in luck.  Apparently once they 'turn' it really only lasts 3 weeks so the timing involves a great deal of luck.

Our tour group has just returned from our farewell dinner.  Though not much more than half the days of the first road trip, this group has, in many ways, a more congenial overall feel, though we have not bonded as well with specific people as we did in the west.  6 are not coming on the cruise but more bonding will no doubt occur over the next 7 days with the remaining 40.

Our tour guide, Harriet, who is pushing 70,(found out on one of our last days together she turns 69 next month!, husband died a year ago and she was given 2 months 36 years ago with a cancer diagnosis) works MUCH harder than our west coast guide.  The travelling between places in the west is so picturesque that there was no need to entertain the troops.  The east is much more flat and boring so she works hard with games, stories and jokes to pass the time.  We were presented tonight with an envelope each with 6 photos - three group enlargements , 2 of Lisa and I and one individual and a very personal note.  This she did for 46 others!! We were all very impressed.  Didn't get that in the west!

One of Harriet's photo gifts - taken on the train enroute from Quebec to Montreal

So tomorrow we hit the high seas of St Lawrence River.  No living out of a suitcase which I'm looking forward to. 

Can't believe next week is week 10!  Hang in there all you teachers!

Yes this is much shorter.  Do not interpret as lack of interest or lack of enjoyment.  Just a shorter week and less enthusiasm for cities than snow capped mountains.