Montreal has to be one of the most beautiful cities we have visited.  Pat was so not looking forward to big cities on this trip but has agreed he is glad we have stopped in this one.  Weather was crisp and cool as we set off on a walk of the city this morning.

  A funny happened at breakfast at the Marriott ....a lady came up to me and asked me if there were going to be more scrambled eggs soon.....I guess I am too casual for Montreal as she thought I was one of the staff....Oh well...I go for comfort when I travel... not looks.  I was on a mission to see as much of Montreal as we could today, but poor Pat was on a mission to walk slowly and stop and smell the roses more.....We really are still doing quite well together with no major upsets yet.....so.....I slowed it down a pace and let him stop at a cafe for coffee.  So glad we stopped....we had the best almond crescent (croissant de almande) that we have had since Switzerland.  Kyle would have loved to have one of the chocolate ones.  

After the break Pat was ready to go....good thing we had energy because the next trek was a hike up into the "mountain" of Montreal as the locals call it.  Actually it is a steep hill that has been developed into a fabulous city park designed by Olmsted the same designer of Central Park in NYC.  We hiked a lot of miles in that park and the view of Montreal was truly worth it when we reached the chateau at the top.  I kind of convinced Pat to take an odd path down called the Escarpment.  Pat was sure we would never set foot at the bottom again as this path wound round and round the "mountain" with no ending it seemed.  Thankfully my Parks and Recreation background kept reassuring him because we did make it all in once piece but with very sore feet.  :) 

 

The trees are really getting red here...God is dipping his paint brush into the reds, oranges and yellows.....Canada is going to have a beautiful Fall season for sure.

After taking Pat on this long adventure it was way past lunch time, but good for getting a table at a Deli that is a must in Montreal.  Schwartz is an 80 year old Jewish deli with wonderful smoked beef sandwiches.  It is a typical old diner and we were seated with another couple due to space.  Pat was amazed at how I could get whole life stories out of this young couple ( our kid's age) in a matter of 45 minutes.  They were fun to talk with and a highlight of my day anyway.  

A chocolate shop called our name as we started walking back to the hotel....and I tell you we had the best brownies I have ever tasted.  They even give you a side of homemade caramel to dip them in.  Good thing we hiked over 7 miles today.

 Pat was ready for a Starbucks (notice it is called Cafe Starbucks here)

 I left him there and went shopping on a fun street nearby.  We hopped in the hot tub, decided to not eat anything for dinner (I think we ate enough today) and relax.