Qantas sucks

As the flight was due to leave at 6:00 pm we hung around our private wing in the hotel until midday checkout time. Handed over the bags for storage and went for a wander through Central Park up to the Museum mile on 5th. Spotting seriously expensive looking apartments on the way.

We saw famous museums such as Metroplitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim. Well we saw the outside of them at least - assume that is all that's required to say we've seen them. Using the hop on hop off bus to get back down the avenue (passing a few girls...) we headed back to pick uo the bags. Get in our pre-booked taxi (at 3:30)and got the the airport on time. Checked in and then.... Flight delayed leaving from NY Flight delayed landing in LA Now we have to fly by Sydney 16 hours quashed in between others. No explanation as to why they have stuffed it all up. Just making excuses. Treating us like cattle. My word of advise is do not spend your money flying on this airline. Go with someone who cares. Update: just arrived in Sydney after a very cramped 14 hours in the air. Question: What sort of a person gets into thier seat and lays it back as soon as they can and for as much time as they can? Answer: An inconsiderate, selfish one. Doesn't help international relations when you generally notice people of a particular culture behaving in this way. For the bloggers reference : lay it back if sleeping only. That way everyone gets along and you may find people not so keen to play push button games on the screen at the back of your head. Thanks to our carrier still being useless the flights we were all to connect with in Syndey were missed, then rescheduled, then re-allocated, then seating arrangements changed. This must be costing them a fortune. And the whole shamozzle could have been avoided if the original vehicle had've arrived in JFK on time in the first place. Root cause unknown - however totally over their excuses and inefficient ways of dealing with it.

Sydney is grey, raining and dull. Have transferred from International to domestic and we got to sit around there for 2 hours instead of recovering at home. The trip down was uneventful and obviously domestic. Arriving in Melbourne is always a joy!. Great to see the reintroduction of charging for the luggage trolleys - Now $4!! what a bargain and what a great way to great vistitors to our town - when they are a free service everywhere else in the world. Just to top off a great trip - the luggage took ages coming out - by the time some bags decided to limp out onto the carousel - they had in their wisdom decided all incoming flights should be on the one belt - so the crowd was exceptional. 3rd last bag out before the whole thing packed up (which was obviously due to the person putting them on incorrectly in the first place so they were getting jammed in the door) was ours. So we left to the sound of the PA apologising to the crowd and say their luggage delivery will be delayed pending an engineer looking at the problem. Yay Qantas - great work again! Finally arriving home 32 hours after leaving (with no sleep) we faced the prospect of nicely sanded floors and thus the need to vacuum up the dust over everything and put all the furniture back in place. As well of course of unpacking all those baggs we lugged half way around the world and wash the 3 weeks of dirty laundry contained therein.

Subterranean travellng

Lower and middle class travelling always seems to be about getting up early. This is why we were all up at 3:30 am. The girls were shutled off to the airport leaving the lonely bloggers behind to swan around in 2 adjoining rooms. 2 beds. 2 bathrooms. 2 desks. 2 TV's, 2 vistas and a private corridor connecting them. Almost upper class stuff - maybe in the 1500's perhaps but not now ( the tacky dull veneer, lack of fridges, kettles and antique electronics sort of brings it down a notch or two). So we did the obvious and went straight back into the usual collapsed state of exhaustion that is also known as sleep on this trip. Take out coffee and muffins in the spare room for breakfast whilst we made the most of the free WiFi which somehow leaks into this room and we were off to hit the town. It was all planned out based on what we'd learned so far and pretty much went to according to it. First stop was Tiffany's. Here they are so cool they do not show prices off the items on display. They did let us into the store ( which was nice). They correctly assumed we would not be needing to stop at the 2nd floor but would have the gall to walk around on the 4th and 3rd. Got some great designs ideas for the 3D printer though.

Surely the beauty is in the design - not so much the material. Time will tell. A stroll down 5th Ave and then Park Ave (yes blazon name dropping here) poking our noses into a spectacular Catholic cathedral with mass underway. A little weird as they had the doors open, swarms of the usual NY tourists streaming through - most showing the typical disregard for others. Still, the guys up the front were doing their thing unperturbed. Unfortunately it looked a little bit like a religious tourist attraction than the real deal. But what do we know? maybe its just a case of get 'em though the doors whatever it takes. Onto Grand Central Station to soak up more grandiose architecture and using that portal to plunge for the first of many times into the strange underground world that is known as the subway. Emerging to a view of Macy's in the foreground and the Empire state in the back one we wandered around in the former for a while seemingly unable to escape from the men's dept. Eventually we did and popped across the road to Stretchers to spend a riveting hour selecting shoes and writing blogs (2 people/2 separate tasks).

Then it was straight back into the subway and off downtown to Greenwich Village for a coffee in the very famous Regio's. Amidst the original Caravaggio's, the first espresso machine in NY (1927) and the standard NY milling throng the coffee was good. It was once the best in town - others may have passed in since. All very enjoyable though. Retracing our walking tour steps we went straight to John's Pizza. By now it was 4:00 pm so after scoring one of his prized booths ( somehow the doorman saw and booted out the people who jumped in ahead of us - yay for us again) we indulged in a fabulous coal fired oven pizza of which only 3 are allowed to operate any more.

So whilst the carbon footprint was pretty high the result really did seem worth it. Especially as it has been scientifically proven that NY water creates the best pizzas and bagels in the world. This of course means just in the USA as the majority of mindsets here cannot comprehend anything being better anywhere else. Then it was back into the grimy, noisy subways again to be able to luxuriate in our two bedroom alcove for 90 minutes before bouncing out again. In the crisp cold air we found our subway line closed so we up and downed a few steps until we found one working in the direction of Broadway. Finding the theatre was pretty easy as was the red guy who handed us our personalised tickets to the show. We have cinema complexes here they have theatre complexes. There is a lot of theatre being acted out here.

Shear Madness was a real hoot. Many satirical lines thrown in amongst very good and funny acting. Audience participation in solving the whodunnit plot. Leaving feeling quite uplifted our buoyancy was somewhat deflated by the how long (3 trains) subway journey home. Saturday nights sees the system slow down. The lack of information and confusion due to closed lines along with the dregs of the town does take the shine away from the whole experience. Despite that it was a great day. The subways did get us around the huge metropolis quite well and in the end (once again) we collapsed into an exhausted and extended sleep - ignoring the ever present sounds of sirens echoing around the concrete canyons. Tomorrow the long trek home begins.

The day after

Almost being on a first name basis with the café next door now. Today was French toast, fruit salad, pancakes and hangovers.

Heading back to the same park of last nights revelries we took in the southern end. All is quiet on new years day. also a bit chilly with the sun trying to break through the cold grey clouds. Early enough to avoid the major queues (QWT 15 min) at the museum of Natural History we spent a couple of hours wandering the halls looking at stuffed animals and the planets place in the universe as well as the changes its currently undergoing. Really interesting stuff. Fully expecting (hoping ?) the various creatures to burst out of their realistic 3D enclosures and start consuming the (ever increasing in numbers) prey staring at them - we kept moving. Time was against us so we probably missed a significant slice if the place. Upon exit the queues were significant (EQWT up to 1hr) stretching out into the street. Little did they know that there were also queues (EQWT 45 mins) in the subway entrance just below them as well. Grinning we walked past them all and travelled down under to the square precinct to collect our hop on hop off bus passes. The queue was EQWT 15 minutes. Due to our priority status we were waved through much to the chagrin of those standing there. We certainly don't look important. More like stressed, worn out and ragged. With tickets in hand we headed into the vastly less populated but still chaotic place they call a square which which is anything but. QWT for the double decker bus was 30mins.

However it is almost impossible to be bored in this particular spot. The digital signage is world leading and incredibly distracting. Must cost a fortune to run. Apparently it costs $1m per month Just to be on the H&M sign!!. Feeling a few drops of snow (not powder - so for all we knew it may have been from a high flying 747 - yeech) we still decided to sit in the open air to get the views and the uninterrupted shots. 2 hours later we'd circumnavigated downtown, seen all sorts of famous places, landmarks, learnt about architecture and gotten frozen to the bone.

Shivering uncontrollably we alighted uptown near our historically named hotel ( which, as it transpires, the facilities were also installed in the "Renaissance" period) walked the few blocks in the dark (4:30 pm) to get in and then had a hour to warm up and get ready for the next excursion. Harlem for diner. Yo Bro - this is where the cool black people hang out and create their own unique slice of NY culture. Music, dialect, art, history and most importantly - food (well for us anyway). So we went to Red Rooster. Now just to clear this up. This is NOT the fast food chain we have in Aus.

This is the highly popular restaurant in the centre of Harlem. We hung around in the bar for our reserved table to become clear. Without this reservation we would not have got in at all. Queue jumpers that we are. The food was great and yes - some chicken was had. Feeling very pleased with our choices of restaurants, preplanning and general cleverness in getting around we shot back down 1st Ave in taxi to get the girls packed and grab what sleep we could (barring blogging time of course).

an NYC NYE

And we thought the day before was big.... Up early in the hope of beating the crowds was the aim. Breaking fast in our (well its ours now as its the second visit) eatery/café next door to the hotel - the subway beckoned. Diving down into the dirty, gloomy tiled corridors ( as are most subways around the world) we navigated the ticketing system and journeyed downtown below town. Efficient system: really, really long trains (compared to home) full of a wide variety of people of all classes, creeds and mindsets (aka: characters). Popping up around the corner from the World Trade Center we joined the queue for tickets. This is what everyone does in NY. Stand in queues. Well the visitors do anyway. Generally the queues are sort of efficient and most of the big queues are related to security. The longer the wait - the more likelihood of a thorough security check being performed. This had a QWT of approx. 30 mins. This was just for ticket purchase. then we had a QWT of 10 minutes to get in and through the security checks and we were into the 9/11 Museum at Ground Zero.

This was as tastefully done as possible considering the subject matter. Very moving and would be well received by those close to the event and the consequences. Much better if it had not have happened at all of course. There is no doubt that there is now a huge industry booming (security) as a result of the stupid situation. The few hours were there was not really enough, however time was pressing as were the as were the crowds. Extracting ourselves from the our first of many presses of the day we then subwayed a few stops north for a walking tour of Grenwich village. Lunch in a traditional diner (complete with short order chefs) beforehand set us nicely for a 2 hour stroll around this Bohemian historically story rich part of town. From the gentry to Hendrix, the Friends apartment to the smallest house on the island. The locals make claim to many facets of the town. Vowing to return we rushed back uptown to get ready for the big night. Starting with a (free) return to the Top of the Rock the night was clear and we got all the snaps we wanted.

From here we also saw the ball go up in Times square. The security and the crowds were quite simply insane. All roads to the square were blocked off. Unless you had a pass or proof that you should be in the zone - you were turned away. Little did we know this beforehand as our restaurant was indeed in the zone. Needless to say we managed to penetrate it couple of times without either. Our fine dining diner was very enjoyable, however as they had two sittings ( no advice beforehand) we were ejected at 9:00 pm. People just outside were being frisked by the cops so we stayed in the zone and went up to join the party on 6th for a while. All we could see was a sea of people all looking at the temp tv screens showing the action on the stages set up in the square.

A full on variety show going on. After getting the vibe we left the building crowd of a million people(!!) and went to a pub to while away an hour or so. couldn't believed out luck. The pub wasn't busy at all. No one could get near it. So after a fun build up we grabbed our plastic party hats an hightailed it to Central Park. Passing on the way thousands of people queuing to get into the zone. Had they have got in ( which they wouldn't have - they would not have seen anything anyway). So while we stood on a hill watching the fireworks in the park they stood in a queue on the sidewalk watching... nothing. Yay to us.

So a stumble back through the crowded yet joyous streets to the hotel. Where we had a very confusing time getting back into our rooms due to access cards being cleared, stupid policies and a faulty door. Eventually collapsed into bed about 2:00.

A big day in the a big Apple

Up at 3:30 am to catch 50 minute flight and arrived in NY city 6 hours later. Oh the joy of travel.The white stuff had finally desisted and so we left the Canadians to their joy. Interesting to see all departing aircraft being washed down with antifreeze just prior to takeoff. Quite an operation. Suspect more out of season farmers being usefully employed here. A long queue for a taxi started the pattern in USA. Its nice to be able to understand the locals (as interesting as the French language is). It's a pity they struggle to understand us. after checking in and finding to our delight we'd been given separate but adjoining rooms we now don't have to live in each others pockets for the next few days. We then hit the town. 22 km on foot later we are totally exhausted the senses are a bit numb. The overwhelming observations are (apart from the place being overwhelming) is the size number of buildings and then the people. There are so many people. There are crowds people lining up at every tourist attraction. There are crowds in every attraction - we even discovered crowds queuing to leave the attractions . And there are swarms of them in the streets. Literally. Needs to been seen to be believed. Our journey started out with a stroll past Tiffany's and then through the chaos known as Times Square. Hightailing it the ports on the Hudson river we perfectly timed a cruise boarding and sailed around the bottom of the island.Up at 3:30 am to catch 50 minute flight and arrived in NY city 6 hours later. Oh the joy of travel.

Disembarking under Brooklyn Bridge we then wandered over it. All was calm an peaceful . And the 200,000 people who joined us also thought the same. The cyclists whose track we were all on didn't. Build a bridge guys. Get over it....oh yeah you did that already... Back on the next leg of the ferry (queues) to have a look at the Statue of Liberty. serious tourist stuff. We almost capsized the boat in the rush to get that photo. People did not seem interested at all in actually looking at it. All that is important is getting that shot.

On the way back to the port we discovered how rude and arrogant other people can be. I guess when you pack so many people together for so long native behaviours eventually surface. A relatively short look around an aircraft carrier and we drifted (read - cut our way through the crowds) back into town. Dinner at yet another Irish pub. And then off to the Rockefeller tower to be fogged in. Still caught snippets of the views and scammed a ticket re-issue (heh heh). One win for the little people.

Total exhaustion. Off to bed

Stuck in the snow

"Be careful what you wish for" were the wise words of our Jamerican taxi driver all those days ago when we were telling him of our annoyance of the forecast for no snow at Christmas. We thought he was just expressing his dislike of the cold weather due to his home being tropical paradise. But no...his wise words were all about the disruption the stuff can cause to travellers. And thus with the truth of words ringing in our ears we settled for a day on minimal activity (whilst New York had rain). On the bright side we have now experienced serious falls of the stuff and seen how the locals deal with it. We awoke to the streets being awash. Snow ploughs running around everywhere and cars being bogged. No seemed over concerned, worked their way through it and got over it. And it just kept on floating down all day long.

We packed our bags and walked off down the street. 4 people. 6 big bags and a few smaller ones. Pushing through the snow, wishing we had a sleigh, oh what fun we had, groaning all the way. (Yes - its somewhat annoying that they are still playing carols in the shops). The temporary digs are just around the corner and we soon found ourselves luxuriating on in rooms with baths, desks, couches and enough space to swing a cat. If we had one they would even allow that due to their "pet friendly" policy. And so we headed out to experience a proper winter in a cold climate. The locals all seem very happy - some falling over and laughing. Snow shovels are in constant use around doors. We saw one car being extracted with two shovels broken in the process (reasonably amusing). The footpaths in the main streets are kept reasonably clear by the constant foot traffic. They grind the snow into a strange fine powder. There is no ice as such and therefore its not too slippery. What gets stuck to clothes and bags just brushes off - everyplace has an airlock at the front door where the snow gets dusted off on the way in or the layers get put on on the way out. Interestingly there are not too many cyclists getting around.

Spending a couple of hours relaxing in the afternoon we the headed out for an early dinner at a Mexican restaurant which were couth by having the items listed on the menu (aka wine). The city scape certainly changes under these conditions and looks magical. Even when the emergency services are flashing their lights around (a fire in a building nearby).

Back to our comfy rooms to argue with our bookings in New York. Got that sorted and thus its off to bed for a horribly early start to catch our rescheduled flight.

Skating on real ice

It was a splendidly cold day with a top of -10c. The sun was shining (somewhat feebly in the south) and the cars were gleefully spinning their tyres on the icy road verges try to get out of their parking locations. Finally getting to use the thermals we'd lugged half way around the world for 3 weeks of this weather (not one day) we headed off for a day of frolicking snow play. Catching the underground trains was straightforward... and noisy. They run on rubber tires the same as the ones in Paris so whilst it seems efficient it really could do with some noise reduction technology. One point up for home. Their ticketing system is easy to use, cheap and clever (paper RFID cards). OK OK... so home sucks in comparison.

Anyway, after research showing that all the real winter fun starts in January here we alighted at the Spaceship known as the Olympic stadium on the promise of sledding, sliding and skating. Eventually we found a fun park for toddlers. Thinking there was more (or something better) we walked around some, saw some protestors getting ready for something, looked at the entrance to the botantical gardens and eventually capitulated and went back to the toddlers play pen. After all we are Aussies. This is an Olympic stadium. This is where we stand tall, and proud, and we win. Except in Montreal - as history shows.

Anyway we were here to have fun - regardless of skill level of the participants (so was the squad in '76 apparently) so we sat on the rubber tubes and slid down the entirely safe slope - giggling all the way. We then donned our skates and then gracefully slid around the rink for an hour or so. Well the younger generation did. The older ones struggled. Ghosts of '76 being channelled perhaps. Ice skating is a skill. Makes one appreciate how well the hockey players are loaded with ability. Trying to teach old muscles new tricks takes more than an hour of struggling to be successful. Give us week at least (was the justification). As it transpires this was the perfect place for us. Uncrowded, relaxed and friendly.

We had a great time and so back through the noisy tunnels of the underground to relax and discover the weather tomorrow will deal us a timetable blow. Here comes a true "event". All hands to devices to look at alternatives but nothing stood out as a viable option. As so deciding to let fate take is course we walked back down to the old town (past the Notre Dame angels)for diner at the brewery. Turns out that they are pretty uncouth with most items of any quality (salmon salads, sav blanc etc.) being unavailable. Not letting this trouble us too much we feasted on available grub and taxied back to the abode.

Securing alternate accommodation for tomorrow was not awkward. Hopefully insurance will cover it it. Of course one can never make up for an entire day in the big Apple being lost. Still the storm could be interesting....

Snow - Glorious Snow

"You've read my mind woman. It's like we're one person" - so said the first born to her mother upon hearing there was chocolate to consume after a sumptuous "in-digs" dinner purchased at the fresh food market across the road from our accommodation in Quebec. The weather forecasters here are spot on. Right on schedule the locals got their first proper dump of the season and they were all happy. Notions of global warming were brushed aside as they started to plan their winter fun. Items like a 7km downhill slope to play on did seem enticing. Due to extremely bad timing (weather wise) we headed out of town just as the true winter shenanigans were beginning.

Snow is an amazing phenomenon. It's water but does not behave like it does in the temperate climates. It floats down. It bounces around. Settles for a while and then lifts off to go to another place. Sometimes individually, other times in packs (known as flurries). It sticks to everything. And then sometimes slides off, other times it builds up. There seems to be no order, no rules it just does whatever it wants. And so we four braved the maelstrom. Loaded down with our newly purchased extra baggage we headed off the the bus depot. Some dragging two suitcases others simply snowplowing through the drifts with what they had. Scott of the Antartic had dogs to help get through this stuff - we were on our own. And we had to take photo's whilst doing it. However tough the going was - we did prevail. We'd learnt a few days ago that in olden times the farmers who had nothing to do in winter became lumberjacks, preparing the logs for floating in the spring melt down to the cities where they built the cathedrals out of them. Thus the workers (ne: proles) were always employed for the greater good. It's very apparent that these days there is an entire army of workers in Canada who work tirelessly in winter to scrape and clear the footpaths and roads to ensure life goes on regardless (they are tough, they have it figured out, they know what to do and when) and it's pretty obvious that when global warming stops an entire workforce from being employed for a week or two people start to get edgy. Anyway, thanks to their efficiency, diligence and butt bearing arrogance to the rest of the world the footpaths had already been scraped and we could get through our 500 meter ordeal with no mishaps. Scott had dogs. We had street sweepers.

Apart from a coffee cup exploding at departure time at the bus depot all went smoothly on the trip back to Montreal. Everything covered in snow. All looking magical. Fur trees dripping in the stuff. Cars swamped, fields awash, a total lack of colour wherever you look. and the roads... Still flowing. Can't stop progress. Can't stop people needing to be somewhere else. People like us. Enjoying our delightful quiche slices as we read our novels as we hurtled through the slush on the highways along with thousands of other vehicles.

Arriving at our old familiar residence (cramped but we have been doing this for a long time now, so no problem). We went our desperate shopping ways and then met back at dig central for a home cooked handmade pasta dinner. Brilliant!

Boxing day bonanza!

This event had been planned for months (apparently). Just like at home - because the shops have lost a WHOLE DAY trading they need to ensure society is still hooked on consumerism and attempt to make up the losses incurred the previous day by getting everyone (literally) out and about spending. And so they have boxing day sales in quiet Quebec too. None of us had ever had the pleasure of participating in this social phenomenon previously - the notion of being involved was visibly exciting the experienced shoppers in the team. Highlighted more so by the fact that stuff is (nominally) cheaper here. And so the whole day was dedicated to shopping. This was not the usual (this) blog described experience of shopping e.g. in unique markets in obscure places with wacky people dressed in kaftans selling strange goods and/or concoctions. This is the raw deal. Concrete centres with chain stores selling the same stuff worldwide. Difference here is the labels are in French, no haggling and there is always the unadvertised tax taking away any joy in thinking you've got a bargain. Unperturbed we set off. By taxi. Couldn't afford to stuff around on public transport getting there. This was serious shopping. Boxing day style. The whole town seemed somewhat subdued for 10 am. Arriving at the main center we discovered why. They don't open until 1pm! Aarrgghhhh.

Another lesson in the need to do your homework. Whiling away the hours wandering aimlessly around a deserted mall was the only answer. Formulating a plan of targeted purchases and prior reconnoitering of possible outlets to procure from seemed like a good idea. It all fell to pieces when some stores opened earlier and thus they consumed all the attention of the dedicated within the team. Slowly the hordes drifted in to the palace. The converted started to line up otside their preferred temple of worship. By the time the gods of consumerism had deemed it was time for the holy gates to be opened the sense of excitement in the air was palatable.

With a series of clacks and bangs the shutters rolled back and the crowds surged forward. The cash registers sang their happy tunes and all was good with the world. The girls had joined the biggest queue (Best Buy) which was longer than an Tullamarine international economy line on the first Monday morning of school holidays. Once they were funnelled in, spun around inside and spat out the exit they were grinning ear to ear. Hadn't purchased anything, but at least they went along for the ride. However, purchase items we did. Some significantly 75% off. Eventually exhausted, we fell out of the concrete cathedral and slipped into a taxi to return back to the room where a short recovery was welocome.

One last treck up that infernal hill (key point for future travellers to Quebec - get a room up the top of the town - whatever the expense!) for a cheaper dinner - burgers and beer. It is getting colder again. Snow tomorrow. BTW... We met a local who said that in her 65 years of living here she had never not had a white Christmas. How lucky are we :). Here's a photo from yesterday to give the post some visual interest.

A very merry christmas

Christmas morning sun shone brightly on the recently washed streets, drying them and thus removing all the slippery spots on the now very familiar road that takes us from our lowly placed hotel up to all the action on the parapet. As we neared the Notre Dame the bells were calling out across the town - drawing the faithful to their common house of worship. The melody reduced to a toll and faded away just as we joined the stream entering though the front door. Inside the pipe organist was giving everything to to a rendition of the The Last Noel. It sounded fantastic.

Soon the service was underway. A procession of the hierarchy slowly entered the main arena bearing signicant symbolism with due pomp and ceremony. Lots of speeches (in French of course) interspersed with much standing, sitting, male choirs (sounding like Enigma) and the organist obviously having a ball with his instrument. We had swinging smoking pots being waved around, biscuits being broken and water being thrown over willing participants. We followed along as best as we could - showing respect as one does when visiting another's house. Not being able to understand one spoken word the mind did tend to wander - couldn't help wondering if the holy one on top of the extremely impressive alter is standing on a set of breasts or a behind. Given the seriousness of the occasion it was decided that it would be prudent not to ask. Luckily they didn't offer confessions (forgive me Father for I have blogged...). And so we trolled back down the slope in brilliant sunshine, dry roads and decided that white Christmas's are overrated. What really matters is the good will. Thus enlightened we went back to the room, relax and then reload (e.g. pack the picnic) and headed back to the high plains knowns as the Fields of Abraham.

Battles were fought, democracy estsblished, barack's built, battlements constructed, cannons positioned, walkways, pathways, belvederes, roads, benches all put in place so locals can fornicate openly in front of tourists on Christmas day. How very French. After our delightful "triage au cheeses" and crusty bread we wandered around the fields frolicking in the occasional persistant snow drift before heading back through town which was surprisingly full of people. Looks like all the families were out and about walking off their Christmas feasts. Ours was had in the evening. Yet another slog up the hill to get to our fine dining establishment. By the time we leave this place we'll be a able to race mountain goats on their home turf. The event was well worth the effort. Great food (snails, maple syrup etc.), good wine and quality company (i.e. the best). After all, we traveled to the other side of the planet for this meal. And it certainly met expectations.

The town bereft of snow still glows in the ambience of the season (apart from all the rubbish appearing from underneath the grey sludge that once was white and fluffy). Our church looked angelic under the full moon.

A Balmy Christmas eve in Quebec

The weather forecast held true. The locals can't believe their luck (although they do have a deep sense of inner guilt). Last year was a -30c blizzard. This year +10c. The day started out cold (as we are getting used to by now) and ended in a heat wave. As this is written it is warmer than a Melbourne winters day. There's a full moon shining over the heart of old Quebec city as the dedicated pour into the historic cathedrals for the traditional Christmas eve ceremonies. We started the day across the road at the markets (to which Isabel had already sojourned to deliver us fresh coffee) in order to stock up in case of closed shops tomorrow. Heading up the parapet there were still vestiges of snow lying around alluding to the possibility of (at the very least) a slushy christmas. Discussing the possibilities of Frank Sinatra warbling about dreaming of a boggy christmas we rushed up to the Citadel to join the midday tour.

This was a fascinating insight into the military history of the town. Interesting to see this was the site of yet another famous capitulation by the French. Apparently this one took up to 20 minutes to reach an outcome. That's the spirit. The Brits then built the fortress which was never attacked and (given current state of world affairs) never will be. Story goes that the Yanks once sailed in, confronted a blizzard and left 2 days later with the locals bearing their behinds at them, making rude gestures and then going back into their micro breweries to consume delightfully strong beers in celebration of their ability to survive harsh climates. The feeble sun was making the whole garrisons quarters look very photogenic until the predicted rain came through. Second blow to the white Christmas. The rain quickly washed most of the slush away leaving glistening cobblestones to reflect the Gothic(ish) buildings to the delight of the camera welding tourists.

We ducked into a cafe to dry off and consume more local fare for lunch. Emerging, the rain had stopped and the sun came out, giving some actual colour to the place. All if a sudden the drab grey city turned into a colourful pallet painted photographers playground. So we split up. Two went shopping. The other half went on a mission to chase the setting sun.

This turned out to be extremely successful. Up on top of the hill (exactly where the short battle was held all those years ago) we found a landscape dusted with crisp snow, interspersed with patches of green grass, locals walking dogs and jogging around in the unusually warm breeze and an angelic light illuminating the whole area. Perched on top of an historic cannons blast stop we watched the sun dissappear up river, listening to the bells of a church over the far side of the river (at least 2 km) ring out their Christmas mass celebration tune.

Heading back to base camp the breeze just got warmer and warmer (final blow to the notion of a white Christmas). Out for a delightful dinner (they forgot to charge for the wine - woo hoo!) And then in our tiny room to converse with the home crew who are already celebrating the day with the wider family. Out turn comes tomorrow. Makes one realise how much effort Santa actually puts in to get every corner of the globe in one evening.

Cold in Québec

Up early (for us at least) and being the well oiled functioning foursome we have become over the years at 10:00 am our gear was being loaded into a suitably sized taxi and off we whizzed through the grey streets of Montreal city to the bus depot. Bus depots all over the world look the same - dreary, desolate, drab - full of people who can't afford a more expensive way of travelling. And they know it. It's for this reason no one smiles at bus terminals. Even at arrivals. The owners/management of these places dont bother making them look nice in an attempt to get patrons to spend money, because they have none to spend. If they did they would be at the railway stations or airports - that's why those places have boutiques and decent coffee. And thus we found ourselves - slurping on some sort of warm concoction which may have had a coffee bean grown in the highlands of Werribee waved over it at sometime in its history and rushing onto a caboose full of single travellers who all wanted a window seat just so families could not sit together.

Being long distance journeys they have washroom facilities. An obvious necessity. As are the delightfully aromatic chemicals eminating from them. Guess who spent 2&1/2 hours breathing these delightful fumes... As we headed northeast the outside vistas quickly changed into picturesque snow covered landscapes. Still shrouded in fog it all bodes well for the white Christmas ahead (apart from the forecast that is). Arriving at the terminal in Quebec city we jumped straight into a large taxi (much luggage) drove around the corner and alighted at our hotel. Very funny. Should have looked that one up beforehand. We could have walked faster than the time it took to do all that loading and unloading. The old town of Quebec is covered in snow (for the moment) and the sounds of Christmas songs fill the air. Literarily. Everywhere you go. It's in the streets. It's in the shops. It's in the pubs. It's in my head. It's in my head...(sorry about that). After checking in to our squashed (but OK) room we hit the town. Lots of olde worlde charm combined with snow and Christmas themes (trees, lights, music and tourists all lapping it up).

The girls waited patiently in line to get free portrait with Santa (yes the real one) whilst a foursome serenaded them with commercial carols sung in both languages (suspect they were just showing off). By the time we scaled the cliffs which define the old quarter it was bitterly cold and getting dark. 4 pm. Time for a drink. So we found a pub and had tea and cheeses whilst letting the bones thaw a bit. 5 pm here feels like 10pm at home. Well worth a look as they have gone to a serious effort to make the place interesting after dark.

We plodded the cold/slippery old cobblestones back down to pizzeria for dinner (really good - square pizzas - who'd a thunk?). Heaps of photos of the snow taken because apparently it all disappears tomorrow due to global warming.

Fogged in at the Mont

Extremely good as we are at sleeping in, today we excelled ourselves. Whilst the apartment is brilliantly located in the centre of town, our street is exceptionally quiet and as such we didn't emerge into the grey metropolis until just before midday. Fully prepared for a big day on foot the first agenda was to head uphill... and then more uphill...... ever on towards the views known as Mont Royal which overlooks Montreal (suspected connection there... whatever).

As we tolled up towards the peak we could see a thick fog pouring over the hill. By the time we got to the top it had almost obscured the entire view with just a snippet of distance viewable to west. By the time we sat down in the impressive chalet for 1/2 hour waiting for it to clear it became so thick that it was almost impossible to to see the trees at the end of the path. It was interesting that the roar of the city streets was still clearly audible though. And so taking it on good faith that the views are impressive (on a clear day) we trolled back down the 435 steps, the slippery paths and the soggy dead leaf covered grounds back into town. All of this "mystical" landscape should be covered in snow (get used to this whinge over the next few blogs - there are a lot more pending) however all we got was a cold, foggy, soggy experience. On the bright side we did get some classic fog photo's and saw a squirrel.

The treck back through greytown led us to the Marie Reine Du Monde cathederal - which was very granduos (and out of the wind). Many words could be used to describe this building. First to mind is "Money has been spent here". Then heading off to the old quarter a slight detour showed us some slummy areas before we stopped in a café for a releaving caffine hit. Emerging into rain (which persisted for the rest of the day) we finally made it to the Notre Dame - modelled on the one in Paris (sort of) it is very touristy and certainly worth a look. Pleased that we could compare the two churches in one day as the first was serious - this was almost.... glistzy. Very photogenic though.

Giving thanks during communal drinks at a local micro brewery afterwards we reflected on the days undertakings and all agreed that even though the weather is not to plan - the town is looking pretty cool due to all their lighting efforts. And so at 5pm we trolled back in the dark, drizzled laden streets snapping photos of all the Christmas lights on the way to our apartment. Where we had a takeaway dinner (thanks to our tour guide and the internet) and a quiet evening in. Spent mostly planning our next adventures...

Moving onto Montreal

Throwing the curtains wide the windows of the hotel room revealed a snow covered car park with a frozen swimming pool beyond. No one swimming curiously enough. The sun was trying to make a serious impression down south and failing in making an effort to warm things up. Feeling refreshed from sleeping in a comfortable bed with no interputions for a change we had our complimentary breakfast in the motel and headed back into Lennoxville - home to Bishops Uni.

Revisiting the cafe' (sans students) and the supermarket (sans students) we walked back to the car through the town (sans students) which was parked at McDonald's (sans students). Driving away from it all we went past lots of student accommodations which (go figure) were sans students. So whilst we saw the place we certainly did not get the vibe that the place had a month ago. Those memories will have to remain within our student herself. Heading back to Montreal the temp started to climb into the positives and the rain started to come down. Soon all vestiges of a mystical kingdom were washed away and the landscape along the highway looked like a wet, cold drab day driving from Geelong to Melbourne. By the time we delved into the concrete jungle that is Montreal it was trying to snow again - however that didn't last long until it all just turned into a continuous cold drizzle for the rest of the day.

Unperturbed though we found our luxurious digs and went to explore the shopping extravaganza that lies hidden below street level. Literally a rabbit warren. Full of rabbits. Honestly, you've got not idea. There are swarms of them down there. They fill every corridor, they eat everything on offer, they crowd through the checkouts. It's like a crazed swam of ants running around haphazardly after a dead log has dislodged from the tree above and fallen on their nest. Well maybe not quite that frenetic but close. Couriously we discovered that there are as many people roaming the streets above the ground as below. After bidding a sad farewell to and ditching our wheels we went to dinner at local Turkish restaurant. Recommended by the internet (which, by the way, has been our guide and source of knowledge in many situations so far on this trip... yay for the internet and yay for free WiFi!).

On to Sherbrooke

Blocking out the infernal light coming through the bars above the door with a blanket was obviously never going to stop noise. Last nights ghosts came in sometime after midnight and seemed oblivious to the fact that there were inmates trying to sleep through their loud inane conversations echoing throughout the cell block. As it transpires "Hey SHUT UP" seems to translate well in any dialogue. They should have tried that in Poltergeist (may have saved the house). Upon receiving a pardon from the governess at reception we finally shook off the shackles of the old gaol, had a quick coffee in the heart of the old city and bid farewell to Ottawa town and all their....totems.

It was a cold day. With a light snow lining the roads it was -3 to start with. As we flew along the highways the sun came out highlighting the sometimes white fields and leafless forests. Skirting Montreal for the moment we headed on to Sherbrooke. Slowly the flat landscape changed to hills and then reasonably interesting mountain scapes. Most of them have ski runs on them - even small nearby hills. Interesting that the locals have no need to drive far to go skiing in winter.

On the way it got to -6 outside with a fair amount of snow lying around. Arriving at Bishops University we found an extremely picturesque setting - extensive olde worlde buildings and grounds all delightfully covered in a light frosting of snow, serene with not a student in sight. An ex-one (Louisa) showed us around. It was a fascinatsing insight into her world over the last 4 months.

Heading off in the dark we wound our way through the extensive streets of Sherbrooke to our digs for the night. After checking in we went of to Samurai Sushi for an extensive feast of quality fresh products wrapped rice. Yep - the sushi here has rice on the outside - not seaweed. It's the little things that make the difference between cultures. Oh yeah - and they all speak a strange language. Weird.